LOCAL NEWS Faulty equipment linked to report of active shooter at Topsail High School

By Alfred Charles, WRAL.com managing editor

HAMPSTEAD, N.C. — Law enforcement authorities in Pender County were called to Topsail High School in Pender County on a report of an active shooter on campus but a spokesman for the Pender County Sheriff's Office said it appears that noise from a malfunctioning heating and ventilation equipment was mistaken for gunfire.

There was a heavy law enforcement presence at the school, which is located at 245 N. Saint Johns Church Road in Hampstead, when the reports of an active shooter first surfaced.

The sheriff's spokesman said law enforcement officers were still searching the campus as a precaution but preliminary reports indicate that it was faulty equipment.

There were no reports of injuries and students were not due to report to class until 8 a.m.

But WECT News reported that there may have been some students on campus when the incident was reported around 7 a.m.

The television station also reported that students are being diverted away from the campus and being sent to a nearby Lowe's Foods grocery store while law enforcement officers investigate the report.

WECT TV reported that a local commission said no active shooter has been identified.

The commissioner, identified as George Brown, said the noise that sounded like gunfire may have been a piece of equipment at the school that has been malfunctioning in recent days. The equipment sounds similar to gunfire when it is not working properly.