Lockdown at Pueblo Central High School sparks misinformation online

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Pueblo Central High School was briefly placed on lockdown Thursday after police received reports of a man with a weapon near the campus, but officers say false claims of an active shooter quickly spread online, fueling fear in the community.

According to the Pueblo Police Department, they are still searching for the man who had the weapon. However, misinformation spread like wildfire about an active shooter within the community before police could make a statement.

Below are examples of posts that were made on social media:

District 60 states that a message was sent to families during the lunch hour, informing them that the campus was briefly placed on a secure perimeter but resumed its regular schedule for the rest of the day. 

Police say the misinformation may have caused unnecessary fear and warn of the dangers of spreading inaccurate information.

"You can't take back after once it's been posted. It spreads like wildfire. And so, making sure that unless you know for sure, the information that you're putting out there, just think twice about that, because it could have a negative impact and an unintended consequence as well," says Bianca Hicks from the Pueblo Police Department.

A mother of a student at Central High told KRDO13 that she was terrified by the post online, but she did her due diligence and called police dispatchers.

"I think they should stop because, you know, social media is already so reliant upon false information that we need a really good narrative before we actually go out there with what happened," says Shayla Montoya.

Police tell KRDO13 that the man with the gun was never a direct threat to the school, but the lockdown was a precautionary decision by the district.

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