LOWELLVILLE — “This is not a drill. I need an ambulance. Lowellville schools have an active shooter,” came the 911 call about 10:20 a.m. Thursday to a Boardman police dispatcher.

Within seven minutes, according to 911 audio, police officers had secured the firearm and the main task for law enforcement transferred from the safety of the students to the control of parents rushing to the Lowellville School Complex at 52 Rocket Place, in response to the report of the single shooter who had a self-inflicted head wound.

The end of the 11-minute audio segment of police radio traffic that was released to the newspaper Friday tells that the student gunman was “still breathing, however, it is very bad.”

The first reports from officers were calls to keep the students in lockdown.

The audio shows that a lone emergency medical technician had responded within two-and-a-half minutes to the student, who had shot himself in the school cafeteria.

“We have a head wound and need … ambulance,” the transmission came from the cafeteria in a strong, slow voice. An ambulance brought in a cot for the shooter / victim within four-and-a-half minutes.

Twelve police cars responded to the call “shots fired, 52 Rocket Place,” within minutes to the Lowellville campus.

During the early part of the emergency call, dispatchers heard from police departments from Youngstown State University, Liberty and Campbell offering mutual aid. Dispatchers had to keep repeating, “This is not a drill!” to officers because the Lowellville school site, coincidentally, was the location of a training exercise earlier in the morning.

ALL SAFE

Within six minutes of the initial call, Lowellville police Chief Rick Alli radioed in that the firearm was secure and all students were safe.

“Everybody slow down a little bit!” came the report from the 911 dispatcher.

The attention of law enforcement then turned to devising a plan to manage the parents who would be rushing into the school. In fact, 911 reported within 10 minutes the front doors of the school were open, and parents already were coming in. One parent with a firearm was stopped, and she was detained by police.

Officers had to figure out how to get the approximately 400 students out of the building in an orderly fashion

The initial reports had the evacuation plan allowing for high school students to be let out at the rear of the complex near the baseball fields, with elementary students going out the front door. By the end of the 11-minute radio traffic segment, however, it was agreed to send all students to the nearby football field to be reunited with parents and guardians.

“Officers, be advised to keep the parents out of the building. Secure the front doors!” came the police order.

OTHER 911 CALLERS

Within seconds of the gunfire, a secretary at the school called 911, reporting: “This is not a drill, we need an ambulance.” The secretary is overheard saying on the school public address system: “Everybody stay in the classrooms. Lock down! Stay in the classrooms!”

After being asked about the situation, the secretary said in a steady voice: “A student shot himself. Possibly one injured. PD is here, just the chief right now.”

The secretary told 911 dispatchers she couldn’t see the shooter in person but was looking at a monitor of a security video camera in the cafeteria.

One teacher who called 911 from a “dry room inside the cafeteria” was told to follow a lockdown procedure. Students could be overheard screaming.

An employee could be overheard in a low whisper as he was in the library to call 911 to report the shooting. “There’s a lot of confusion,” he said as he was told to stay in place. One other 911 caller was the husband of a teacher who was asked to report the shots being fired.

One teacher heard shots in the cafeteria, and had gotten his group of students out of the building. That teacher called 911 and reported his group was at an adjacent apartment complex. The teacher was told by a dispatcher that the school was secure and to get back to the building.

gvogrin@tribtoday.com