Hawai‘i Police Department
Puna Patrol
Captain Scott Amaral
Phone: (808) 965-2716
Report No.: 22-108464
Media Release
Hawaii Police Department (HPD) officers responded to Kea‘au High School this morning after receiving a call about an active shooter situation that ultimately proved to be false.
On Wednesday, December 7, 2022, at 10:01 a.m., Central Dispatch received a call that there was a Caucasian male on campus with a firearm who had shot multiple students in a classroom and was now roaming the campus.
As officers were responding to the scene, Kea‘au High School administration was contacted and reported that there was no active shooter event that they were aware of, and it was determined that the call was a hoax.
Kea‘au High School and other schools in the immediate vicinity were placed on lockdown as a precaution due to the potential seriousness of the call.
Within minutes of Police Dispatch receiving the call, multiple resources responded to the scene that included specialized service divisions and the Hawaii Fire Department. Once a systematic search of the school campus was completed and assurances that there were no threats, the school and surrounding areas were opened up around 10:57 a.m.
The incident has been classified as a first-degree terroristic threatening case and is currently being investigated by the Area I Juvenile Aid Section.
Police ask anyone who may have any information relative to this investigation to contact the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or Detective Kevin Brodie at (808) 961-8883.
