Hoax puts Palouse in lockdown

PALOUSE — A false report of a deadly shooting near Palouse School sent the campus into lockdown Friday, Sept. 27, sparking a swift and law enforcement response that turned out to be part of an alarming trend known as “swatting.”

According to reports from the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, the incident was later identified as a false alarm.

At approximately 8:30 a.m., an anonymous caller contacted local law enforcement, claiming they had been in an argument with their mother and had “shot and killed her.”

The caller provided an address near Palouse School, indicating they were armed and suici...