Panic, confusion and then relief spread across the region Wednesday morning after two Pittsburgh Catholic schools received what investigators deemed were hoax active shooter threats that prompted evacuations, lockdowns and large responses from police.

Families raced to Oakland Catholic and Central Catholic high schools as the news unfolded, but soon learned that the reports about an active shooter were false.

Doreen Chatkin of Murrysville was among the frightened parents. She waited at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland after receiving a text message from her daughter Cassidy, a student at Oakland Catholic High School on North Craig Street, who said the school was on lockdown and she was hiding in an office.

“I drove 300 mph from Murrysville to get here,” Chatkin said.

Chris Shrieve of Munhall had a similar reaction. His son attends Central Catholic High School on Fifth Avenue in Oakland.

“I really won’t feel relief until he is standing of front of me,” Shrieve said.

• Experts describe how 'swatting' hoax threats cause chaos and panic • Editorial: Pain, panic and fear: the fallout of a faked school shooting report

Both schools were targeted by the calls Wednesday, which state and local police said spread to districts across Pennsylvania. Schools in Beaver, Fayette, Erie, Mercer, Lawrence, Blair and Lehigh counties, among others, were victimized, according to officials there. The calls all had similar content, claiming an active shooter situation or bomb threat in school buildings, according to state police. Some were placed to 911 and others rang at police stations.

All have been determined to be false. The origin of the calls is under investigation by local, state and federal authorities.

Acting Pittsburgh Police Chief Thomas Stangrecki said police were dispatched at 10:18 a.m. to Central Catholic, which was followed shortly after by a similar report around the corner at Oakland Catholic. The schools were searched as a precaution.

“Within a minute, we were notified that there was no active shooter at Central Catholic,” he said.

The chaos came two days after three adults and three children were killed at a Christian school in Nashville. Police identified the shooter as a 28-year-old former student.

Allegheny County 911 received the two active shooter calls at the Catholic schools, according to county spokeswoman Amie Downs. Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety director Roland “Bud” Mertz said the center had not received any of the hoax calls, but that it notified local police agencies of the situation unfolding. All 12 of the schools in the Diocese of Greensburg were placed on lockdown, according to officials there.

State police in Uniontown reported Wednesday that troopers were called to Laurel Highlands High School in Fayette County for an active shooter threat. The threats are believed to be computer-generated “swatting” calls, according to police.

“Swatting” is the process of making a fictitious report of a violent crime that elicits a large police presence or SWAT team response, said Myles Snyder, state police communications director. The police response can be to an unsuspecting or innocent location. The type of call is sometimes used as retribution by players in online gaming.

“It’s basically a prank phone call,” Snyder said.

Brian Cook, a Central Catholic spokesman, told media members outside the building that the call was a hoax.

“Especially on the heels of what just happened in Nashville, we’re going to try and make sure everyone’s OK,” Cook said.

The news relieved parents. Melissa Viator of Point Breeze received a text message from her son, Kolbe, a junior at Central Catholic, about the reports.

“I just grabbed my keys and I ran,” she said.

John Frentzos received a similar message from his son.

“Whatever they’re telling the kids must be keeping them calm,” he said after news of the hoax spread.

North Side resident Teni Odumosu said she was appreciative of the police response at Central Catholic, where her younger brother is a student. He sent an ominous text message while the situation was unfolding: “I love you all. There is an active shooter.”

The University of Pittsburgh also locked down its campus during the scare.

At a news conference in Oakland on Wednesday afternoon, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said he was thankful nothing serious happened.

“At the end of the day, this is going on everywhere,” he said. “Our greatest asset is our children, and we want to keep them safe.”

Other high schools targeted by the hoax calls included Hopewell in Beaver County, Altoona in Blair County and New Castle in Lawrence County, according to information posted on social media.

Steve Bicehouse, director of emergency management in Butler County, said officials there were notified last week by state officials about the hoax calls, which have been going on around the country. Even if officials suspect a call is bogus, police and other emergency responders will be dispatched to the scene.

“We don’t take chances with these things,” he said. “We send somebody to check it out.”

Schools around the region made efforts to calm parents, releasing statements that they were not a target of the calls but were aware of the situation and monitoring it. Some had additional police present at buildings.

“At this point we are just trying to manage the information we are getting,” said Clinton Blazavich, an administrator at Cheswick Christian Academy.

The calls were taken seriously by administrators in districts that were not directly affected.

“While these threats are hoaxes, we understand the anxiety a situation can cause our families, students, staff and community,” Kiski Area Superintendent Misty Slavic said in a message to parents.

Westmoreland Intermediate Unit officials sent messages to the 17 districts and three career and technology schools it serves, said executive director Jason Conway.

“I can assure you that each of the districts are aware of the events of today, and they are doing everything under their power to make sure that students are safe and secure, which they do every single day,” he said.

Greater Latrobe Superintendent Michael Porembka said that his district had to deal with the repercussions despite not being directly targeted.

“The swatting incidents absolutely sicken me, and the fact that someone would attempt to use the tragedy in Nashville to weave fear into our local schools is just disgusting,” he said.

In a letter to parents, Central Catholic administrators said school will be canceled Thursday and Friday. Students are already scheduled off next week for Easter break.

“Very importantly, our students who reacted impressively, have experienced a crisis that produced an adrenaline surge, anxiety and the natural letdown that occurs after extreme stress,” the letter said.

Staff writers Haley Daugherty, Julia Maruca and Tony LaRussa contributed.

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