Pender County officials say reports of active shooter at Topsail High School turned out to be malfunctioning water heater.
Pender County schools had said via Twitter early Friday that all campuses on the eastern side of the county were on lockdown. School buses for Topsail Elementary, Topsail Middle, and Topsail High were being directed to Lowe's Foods across from the elementary school, where parents could pick up their children.
There has been a reported active shooter situation at Topsail High School. Pender County Schools is taking all precautions to ensure the safety of students and staff.
— Pender Schools (@penderschools) November 9, 2018
The school district also said that buses for South Topsail, North Topsail and Surf City Schools were being routed to their respective school campuses, where students were to remain on lockdown on buses.
But the mood quickly changed after new reports surfaced that that the apparent shots turned out to be malfunctioning equipment, according to multiple reports, including in the Wilmington Star.
At this time Topsail Elementary, Topsail Middle, and Topsail High remain on lockdown. The lockdown has been lifted on all other school campuses.
— Pender Schools (@penderschools) November 9, 2018
Topsail High School is located near the coast in Hampstead, about 20 miles north of Wilmington. It has around 1,300 students enrolled.
In May, an 18-year-old student was found in the school's parking lot with a large knife strapped to his leg and three other knives. A 16-year-old boy who authorities say armed himself with a semi-automatic rifle after hearing about that potential attack also was arrested.
