Charlestown and East Boston high schools among several locked down on fake reports of possible attacks by a gunman

Stanley Staco reports that around noon, school officials and police shut Charlestown High School and East Boston High School after somebody called and said they were on the way with a rifle, first to Charlestown, then East Boston.

Several other schools reported similar fake calls, including Amesbury High School, where officials report:

The Amesbury Police Department and other law enforcement agencies are actively investigating after a large police response was summoned to Amesbury High School after the regional emergency dispatch center received a threatening call. The call was received at approximately 11:42 a.m. Monday with a male voice saying they had a firearm near the school. The emergency call taker then heard what appeared to be the sound of gunshots before the caller hung up.

The Amesbury Police Department and Amesbury Public Schools immediately implemented their established policies and procedures, which included a lockdown of the high school, a secure mode activation for all other schools in Amesbury, and a large police and emergency response.

Police conducted a search of the high school and surrounding area but soon received intelligence from other law enforcement agencies that other similar reports were made in multiple cities and towns in Massachusetts on Monday. After determining that the schools were not in any danger, police turned the school day back over to school administrators.