False active shooter report sends officers speeding to Bullard High in Fresno

A false report of an active shooter at Fresno’s Bullard High on Thursday afternoon sent dozens of sheriff’s deputies, Fresno police and California Highway Patrol officers racing to the campus, sparking massive concern on the part of the school community.

As officers continued to arrive with flashing lights and sirens, it was determined that no shots had been fired, and the source of the bogus report had come from a student who was recirculating a threat she had found on social media, police said.

Fresno police Capt. Burke Farrah said the first arriving officers isolated the part of the campus that was the source of the report and found no shooter or weapon.

It was at least the second false report of an active shooter at a Fresno Unified high school this week.

On Wednesday, police rushed to Fresno High School after someone on social media mentioned a threat posted on a restroom wall. Investigating officers detained three students after one joked about having a gun in a backpack. The students were later released.

Farrah said authorities will have no tolerance for anyone making a threat, real or false. As he issued his warning, it was repeated to students on a nearby electronic billboard on the campus.

This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 2:45 PM.