Palouse School placed on lockdown Friday morning after hoax call

PALOUSE — The Palouse School was placed on lockdown Friday morning after local law enforcement received a hoax “swatting” call.

The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office announced in a Facebook post the lockdown has been lifted.

Around 8:30 a.m. the agency received an anonymous call reporting someone had shot and killed their mother during an argument, according to the post. The caller provided an address where the incident took place, which was adjacent to the Palouse School.

The post said the person was reported to be armed and suicidal. Based on this information, the school was immediately notified and placed on lockdown.

Deputies, troopers and medical responders from the Pullman Fire Department responded. The post said law enforcement were unable to establish contact with the resident at the home, and verified the incident was a false report.

Authorities believe the call was from out of the area and possibly out of the country, according to the post. The agency would like to remind the public false reporting is a criminal offense, and is very disruptive as it often ties up a significant number of first responders.