Panic at Kenilworth after firecracker is mistaken for a gunshot

A firecracker caused panic, confusion and headaches at Kenilworth Junior High School on Tuesday after some students thought the sound meant a school shooting was happening on campus.

The incident occurred a few minutes after 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, when someone reportedly set off a firecracker in a campus bathroom. “Some students mistook the noise as a gunshot and began to flee, telling other students that there was a person with a firearm on campus,” said Petaluma police Sgt. Paul Gilman in a statement.

Panic ensued among some students, and two of them called 911, with one saying that students were “running everywhere” and that he had fled the campus. “The student was understandably frightened and provided as much information as he could to the dispatcher,” Gilman said.

But as officers rushed to the campus with sirens blaring, they learned from school administrators that it was a false alarm.

“The school requested some assistance from the police department, but they quickly had the situation under control,” Gilman said. “Officers arrived on campus and assisted the staff with getting the students back into the classrooms.”