Adrian Hedden and Moriah Lovato | Artesia Daily Press

Editors note: Stay with the Artesia Daily Press for updates as information is made available.

Artesia High School was temporarily placed on a “shelter in place” order by local police Tuesday afternoon after authorities said they were investigating a potential shooting threat.

Investigators later discovered the call came from Louisiana and alleged that it was made to schools throughout the U.S. including at least one more in New Mexico at Ruidoso High School.

By Tuesday night, the call was deemed to be not credible, police said, but led to Artesia High and Junior High schools being let out early, following a brief shelter-in-place order which asked students and staff to remain in classrooms until further notice.

The caller was described as an unknown person who contacted the high school via telephone and said there would be a school shooting on Tuesday, said Commander Pete Quinoes with the Artesia Police Department.

He said the caller did not give a specific time or location, and that police were working to identify the person who made the call.

Investigators were notified of the possible threat at about 1:15 p.m. by a school resource officer and gave the shelter in place order “out of an abundance of precaution.”

Shelter in place means students and staff within school buildings were asked to stay in their classrooms and not move around campuses.

The incident was being investigated by the Artesia Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division along with school resource officers, the post read.

At least one officer was deployed to each school in the district, police said.

An alert sent out at 1:53 p.m. to parents of students in the district said classes were proceeding as normal, but that entrances to each school were secured amid the potential threat.

“At this time, there is no confirmed or credible threat, and the investigation is ongoing,” read a statement from the police department posted on Facebook at about 2 p.m. “The safety of students, staff, and the community remains our highest priority.”

Police Chief Kirk Roberts addressed the incident during the Tuesday, April 14 Artesia City Council, commending multiple law enforcement agencies for a quick response.

He said the U.S. Border Patrol and New Mexico State Police aided local police in investigating the call. Artesia Police Department (APD) determined the call came from Louisiana.

Chief Roberts reported the caller threatened multiple schools across the country, labelling the threat as “swatting”, a fake emergency call designed to trigger a heavy police response.

In response to praise from the council for APD’s decisive reaction, Chief Roberts used the positive feedback to commend a healthy relationship with the Artesia Public School District and the department’s habit of training alongside dispatch, fire and other emergency services.

“Building relationships gets you to a point where you can do this kind of stuff – where we can react quickly,” he said.

Ruidoso Municipal Schools in a Tuesday statement on Facebook said the Ruidoso Police Department received a similar “threat” against Ruidoso High School on the night of April 13, which was being investigated by law enforcement.

“We appreciate quick communication and the partnership with our school resource officer and the Ruidoso Police Department in addressing this matter,” read the statement. “We encourage all students and families to report any concerns immediately to school staff so that they can be addressed quickly and appropriately.”