At approximately 3:39PM today, the Danville Police Department responded to a call of a threat to bomb the Galileo Magnet High School, which was called to the school directly. The quick response included securing the school, immediately starting a tactical evacuation of students and staff, and shutting down nearby streets. The Danville Fire Department and Danville Life Saving Crew responded to support the emergency situation. The suspect then called the Galileo Magnet High School a second time and spoke to Danville Police Negotiators for a period of time as the school was being cleared and evacuation completed. All students and staff were evacuated to the Municipal Building where a pick up point was established for family.
A full follow-up tactical search of the school was completed for any suspect or threat to life after the initial evacuation. No suspicious items or threats to life were located.
The Virginia State Police provided a swift response with bomb sniffing dogs, who also searched and cleared the building to ensure it was safe.
No one was injured during this incident.
This is now an active and ongoing criminal investigation. Threatening to bomb or burn a building is a serious offense and all assets of the Danville Police Department will be put into identifying and arresting the suspect in this incident.
The Danville Police Department would like to thank the Danville Life Saving Crew and the Danville Fire Department for their tactical support and response today. All three agencies have trained and prepared together for these types of threats to schools in recent years. Also a big thank you for a rapid response by the Virginia State Police bomb dogs to bring this incident to a safe conclusion this evening.