DUNNELLON, Fla. – A large police presence responded to Dunnellon Middle School on Friday afternoon after a shooting threat, but no shooting occurred, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies told News 6 the response comes after a “call for service” at the school. The sheriff’s officer later added that it received a threat of a shooting at the school.
Deputies are on the campus to investigate but did not find any threats or any suspicious individuals. Deputies are now looking into whoever made the call to 911 about the threat, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Kevin Christian with Marion County Public Schools confirmed that the middle school was placed on a code-red lockdown following the threat, but staff inside the school said nothing happened. There were 50-60 children on campus at the time for after-school activities. Christian added that neighboring schools were placed on a code-yellow alert as a precaution.
In the meantime, the sheriff’s office is asking the public to avoid the area until deputies can ensure there are no threats to the school.
Buildings at the schools were cleared and students on campus were released to their families.
In response to the incident, Dunnellon Little League announced it will close the fields and cancel all practices on Friday evening.
Aside from Dunnellon Middle School, law enforcement agencies have reported that several other Marion County schools have received shooting threats since the start of 2024, including Howard Middle School, Forest High School, Vanguard High School, and North Marion High School.
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