Nimitz hoax prompts massive law enforcement response, arrest of seventh-grader

Sept. 13 — A threat from a seventh-grader that turned out to be a hoax put Nimitz Middle School on lockdown for just over 30 minutes Friday.

The hoax was quickly met with a massive response from law enforcement, as well as dozens of parents parking on JBS Parkway and running to the school before news broke that it was a hoax.

There were also two other unrelated incidents Friday, communications director Mike Adkins said in an email.

The student is accused of making a false statement for creating a hoax about a shooter inside the school.

The Nimitz building was placed on lockdown after an armed person was reported inside the building, according to a news release. Representatives from multiple law enforcement agencies responded within minutes and staged a sweep of the building.

No trace of a shooter or weapon was found.

According to the detailed statement of information gathered during the investigation, police believe the seventh-grade boy yelled the threat of someone with a gun during lunch, causing panic and the immediate call for a lockdown.

The statement said the student fled the campus and was located later that afternoon and arrested.

“Ector County Independent School District leadership is grateful for the support of all local law enforcement agencies that mobilized to respond to this emergency. Their combined efforts resulted in a safe and rapid resolution of this situation. The district is also deeply grateful to the Nimitz parents who remained calm throughout the incident and then patiently waited to retrieve their children after the lockdown was lifted,” the statement said.

Nimitz has 1,338 students in grades six through eight.

Daniels said the student who made the threat has been charged with false alarm, false reporting, a felony that carries a possible state prison sentence. He added that they have eyewitnesses and video.

During the lockdown, every classroom is locked. Doors are locked, lights are turned off and students are in a corner, out of sight, Daniels said.

“Because we just don’t know what the threat is inside, so this is the safest place to put them until we get there and deem the area safe,” he added.

Daniels said police have policies and procedures in place that follow state guidelines for emergencies on school campuses.

“This is the standard response protocol… Today we had a hoax initiated by a student, which put the campus on lockdown,” he added.

Daniels said the district takes such threats seriously.

“Our country is on edge because of this kind of thing. We’ve seen it all week with the threats that have been circulating on social media and shared by parents and students. Everyone is on edge. The student took advantage of the opportunity to create chaos in his school and cause a lockdown. This is very serious,” Daniels added.

All Ector and Midland County agencies, as well as federal agencies, responded, he said.

“I can’t think of anyone that wasn’t there. It’s a great response for our community. It shows that when we have things like this, all first responders, whether they’re on duty or off duty… there are so many officers that are willing to go out there and take care of our kids,” Daniels said.

He added that from the street it could be seen that there were so many officers that it was almost impossible to enter the building.

Daniels said they are doing everything they can to keep students and staff safe.

“We have great policies and procedures in place to protect them. I know it gets frustrating when things like this happen and they’re waiting outside to pick up their child,” Daniels said.

But the students are safe inside, he said.

“We will put the process in place to get them out as quickly as possible, but it takes time, so understand that. But also, with these threats, don’t share them. The problem we see is that these things get passed around and we send officers out at 1, 2, 3, 4 in the morning to investigate these things to make sure that we can have classes the next day,” Daniels said.

“Stop sharing the threats. If they think it’s a real threat, report it to law enforcement,” he added. “Don’t post these threats on Facebook. Don’t share them on social media. Send them to us so we can know if they’re real or not,” he added.

They can call 911 or ECISD police at 432-456-9999.

“We have a 24-hour service that will respond and forward (the information) to an officer so we can investigate,” Daniels said.

He said they will have additional officers on campus and stationed at other campuses to allay parents’ fears.

“The problem is that we have to withdraw from other sectors now, even though we know it’s a hoax, everyone is still on their toes. But we want to show the public that we are still here to protect our children.”

“The kids were very grateful when they came out, thanking us for being there, so they’ll see us again next week, not in the numbers they saw today, but we’ll have some extra coverage,” Daniels said.

Raquel Lopez picked up her granddaughter Chloe Harrell, a 13-year-old eighth-grader, on Friday.

Lopez heard about the incident, put on some clothes and went to Nimitz.

“I was pretty emotional telling his mother,” Lopez said.

It was then blocked because Maple Avenue was blocked at both ends.

“But the main thing is that everybody is safe. The police did a great job, in my opinion. They locked that place down,” Lopez said.

Harrell said she was in algebra class and having a popcorn party.

“We were making our popcorn and then we heard over the intercom that this was a lockdown. This was not a drill,” Harrell said.

The students followed the lockdown procedures, all gathered in a corner and tried to stay quiet, but they heard crying, screaming and sirens coming from outside.

Harrell said there were rumors it was going to happen days before.

“We were sitting in the back trying to be quiet, and then the police came with their shields and everything. They said, something, something, police department. … They made sure everybody was okay. They asked if anybody was hurt, and everybody said, no, sir, everything’s okay. And then they said, okay, everybody stay here. And then they left to go check the other classrooms.

“Then we didn’t go back to class. We went straight to the cafeteria and sat down there, and they made sure everybody was there, and then everybody started getting sent away,” Harrell said.

Adkins said two students, one a senior at STEM Academy and one a sixth-grader at Bonham Middle School, were both arrested after saying they were going to bring a gun to school. None of the three incidents are related, Adkins said.