8-year-old Kansas boy calls in hoax shooter at high school, leads to lockdown: police

An 8-year-old boy was taken into custody Wednesday morning in Dodge City after making a 911 call that led to the high school being put on lockdown, the Dodge City Police Department said.

At 7:06 a.m., a 911 caller said they needed help and there was a man with a gun at Dodge City High School, police said in a news release. The high school was put on lockdown as police responded. Police traced the call to a Dodge City home.

At the home, police found the boy, “who admitted to making the call from his mother’s phone because he thought it would be funny,” police said. “The boy has been taken into custody and will be evaluated as a child in need of care.”

Because of the boy’s age, no criminal charges will be filed, police said.

Hoax calls of a shooter have affected schools in Kansas and across the country in recent months. On March 1, hoax calls were made of a shooter at 17 Kansas high schools.