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Franklinton, Franklin County

Franklinton: Sheriff says a juvenile is in custody after high school false alarm

ABC11, CBS 17 and WRAL, each citing Sheriff Kevin White, say a juvenile is in custody after Monday's false shooter report. No page we read named the juvenile or said anyone was charged.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Alexandru Stanciu · Published · Updated

What we know

Confirmed

  • Franklinton High School was locked down Monday morning, Nov. 2, 2026, after a report of a possible active shooter.Confirmed by Franklin County Emergency Management and Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White, as reported independently by WRAL, CBS 17, ABC11 and WCTI
  • WRAL, citing Franklin County Emergency Management, timed that call at 10:23 a.m. CBS 17, ABC11 and WCTI did not print that clock.Confirmed by WRAL only, citing Franklin County Emergency Management
  • CBS 17 wrote that Emergency Management announced an active investigation at the campus just before 11 a.m.Confirmed by CBS 17 only, citing Franklin County Emergency Management
  • ABC11 quoted an Emergency Management post that said, "Active law enforcement investigation going on at Franklinton High School. Avoid this area. Nothing has been found of concern at this time, but it is still an active scene."Confirmed by Franklin County Emergency Management, as quoted by ABC11 only
  • WCTI wrote that Emergency Management said at 11:32 a.m. that nothing of concern had been found and that the investigation remained active.Confirmed by WCTI only, citing Franklin County Emergency Management
  • CBS 17 wrote that the State Bureau of Investigation, at 11:20 a.m., said a possible school shooting had been reported at the campus, and that officials said just after 11:30 a.m. that no threats were found and no one had been hurt.Confirmed by CBS 17 only, citing the State Bureau of Investigation and unnamed officials
  • WRAL and WCTI independently wrote that SBI agents were on campus with local agencies. WRAL alone named Franklinton police among them.Confirmed by WRAL; WCTI. Franklinton police, WRAL only
  • CBS 17 wrote that Principal David Westbrook came outside around 11:40 a.m., said everyone was safe and there was no shooting, and told parents to get to their cars.Confirmed by CBS 17 only, citing Principal David Westbrook
  • CBS 17 wrote that, just before noon, officials said pickup plans were being worked on and that families would hear from the district. That page also quoted a warning that false information was already circulating online and that nothing had been found and no one had been hurt.Confirmed by CBS 17 only
  • ABC11 wrote that officers confirmed there was no active shooter, that every student and staff member was safe, that no one had been hurt, and that the school would dismiss early.Confirmed by ABC11 only
  • WRAL quoted a letter to families from Franklin County Schools spokesperson Dawayne McIntosh saying every student and staff member was safe and that there was no active shooter or immediate threat to the campus or the surrounding community.Confirmed by Franklin County Schools, via WRAL only
  • WCTI quoted a 12:01 p.m. statement from Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White saying the building had been locked down, an initial sweep found no signs of any threats, and all students were safe.Confirmed by Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White, as quoted by WCTI (12:01 p.m.)
  • WRAL independently wrote that White called the situation a false alarm in a social media post and that a sweep found no threats.Confirmed by Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White, as reported by WRAL
  • WCTI quoted White as saying, "False alarms like this are not funny, but unfortunately must be taken seriously. We will investigate the origination of this false report and the perpetrator will face significant consequences." WRAL printed nearly the same lines with "origin" and a comma after "report."Confirmed by Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White, as quoted by WCTI; WRAL's wording of the same remarks
  • WCTI wrote that White said he and his deputies would stay at the campus through the day as officials started reuniting students with families. WRAL independently wrote that his team would remain for the rest of the day so students could leave safely.Confirmed by WCTI; WRAL
  • WRAL wrote that the public was asked to stay away while authorities cleared buildings. CBS 17 and WCTI also printed an avoid-the-area request.Confirmed by WRAL; CBS 17; WCTI
  • ABC11, CBS 17 and WRAL independently wrote Monday evening that Sheriff Kevin White said a juvenile is in custody in connection with the report. None of those three pages named the juvenile or said the person had been charged.Confirmed by Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White, as reported independently by ABC11 (evening rewrite), CBS 17 (WordPress modified 2026-11-02T17:05:14 ET), and WRAL (evening reread of the same URL)
  • CBS 17 timed White's custody remark shortly before 5 p.m. ABC11 and WRAL did not print that clock.Confirmed by CBS 17 only
  • WRAL wrote that authorities did not identify the person because of the suspect's age, and that White's team was still at the campus at 4 p.m. ABC11 and CBS 17 omitted those two lines.Confirmed by WRAL only
  • ABC11 quoted a later White post that called the episode a "sick and disgusting joke" that caused "significant mental stress," said the community was never in danger, and said the person who caused the mess had been identified. WRAL printed the "never in danger" sentence and the identified line. CBS 17 did not print that later post.Confirmed by Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White, as quoted by ABC11; WRAL's shorter cut of the same remarks

Still unknown

  • The juvenile's name. WRAL wrote that officials withheld it because of age
  • Whether anyone has been charged over the report
  • A written Franklin County Sheriff's Office or Emergency Management page we can read ourselves
  • Whether pickup or early dismissal had finished when these pages were last read
  • A later condition for the campus after Monday afternoon

What this means for you

Schools
Franklinton High School was locked down Monday morning. Sheriff White said his office would stay through the day while families were reunited. ABC11 alone wrote that the school would dismiss early. Use Franklin County Schools for pickup notices.
Public safety
Officials have said there is no active shooter and that a sweep found no threat. This site is not an official or emergency source. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Instructions from Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White, as reported by WCTI and WRAL; Franklin County Schools, as reported by WRAL

This site is not the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, Franklin County Emergency Management, Franklin County Schools, or the State Bureau of Investigation. For pickup and campus notices, use the district. This is not an emergency service. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Franklinton, the high school was locked down Monday morning after a report of a possible active shooter. Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White later called that report a false alarm. ABC11, CBS 17 and WRAL independently wrote Monday evening that he said a juvenile is in custody over it.

WRAL, citing Franklin County Emergency Management, timed the call at 10:23 a.m. CBS 17, ABC11 and WCTI omitted that clock.

A 12:01 p.m. statement from White, as WCTI quoted it, said an initial check of the building turned up no signs of any threats and that every student was safe. WRAL independently summarized a social post from him that used "false alarm" and said a search of the campus found none.

WCTI printed his warning this way: "False alarms like this are not funny, but unfortunately must be taken seriously. We will investigate the origination of this false report and the perpetrator will face significant consequences." WRAL's version of those lines used "origin" and added a comma after "report."

CBS 17 wrote that Emergency Management announced an active inquiry just before 11 a.m., that the State Bureau of Investigation said at 11:20 a.m. a possible school shooting had been reported, and that officials added just after 11:30 a.m. that no threats turned up and no one had been hurt.

ABC11 quoted a separate Emergency Management post asking people to stay away and saying nothing of concern had been found, while the scene was still active. That page also wrote that officers confirmed the campus had no gunman on site and would dismiss early. CBS 17, WRAL and WCTI did not print early dismissal.

Principal David Westbrook came outside around 11:40 a.m., according to CBS 17, told people everyone was safe, said a shooting had not happened, and asked parents to get to their cars. Just before noon, that page said, pickup plans were being worked on and families would hear from the district.

WRAL quoted a family letter from district spokesperson Dawayne McIntosh saying an active shooter was not present and that students, staff, and neighbors faced no immediate threat. WCTI wrote that White and his deputies would stay through the day as officials started reuniting students with families. WRAL independently wrote that his team would remain so students could leave safely.

WRAL named Franklinton police among the agencies on campus, along with sheriff's deputies and SBI agents. WCTI also put the SBI there. CBS 17 warned that false information was already spreading online.

The evening files from those three stations returned to the custody point. CBS 17 timed White's remark shortly before 5 p.m. ABC11 and WRAL left that 5 p.m. stamp off.

WRAL added that officials withheld a name because of the person's age, and that White's team was still at the campus at 4 p.m. ABC11 and CBS 17 did not print those two lines.

ABC11 quoted a later post from White that called the episode a "sick and disgusting joke," said it caused significant mental stress, and said the community was never in danger. WRAL printed the "never in danger" sentence and the line that the person who caused the mess had been identified. CBS 17 did not print that later post.

None of the three evening pages said the juvenile had been charged.

This site is not the sheriff, the district, or county emergency staff. For pickup notices, use Franklin County Schools. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

Related coverage

What we don't know yet

We have not opened a written sheriff notice or an Emergency Management page of our own. Officials have not named the juvenile or said whether anyone is charged.

What happens next

White said investigators will look for the source of the report and that the person responsible will face consequences. We will update this story if someone is charged or if the district posts a later note.

Photos

Text-only. No station photographs or helicopter video are used here.

Why it matters

Families now have three newsrooms independently putting a juvenile in custody, and they still need each page's own clock and wording kept apart, including that only CBS 17 printed shortly before 5 p.m. and that no page we read named the juvenile or announced a charge.

Updates

  1. Nov 2, 2026, 6:18 PM

    ABC11, CBS 17 and WRAL, each citing Sheriff Kevin White, now say a juvenile is in custody over the report. CBS 17 timed that remark shortly before 5 p.m. WRAL wrote that officials withheld a name because of age. No page we read announced a charge. Student and parent interview names are not used here.

  2. Nov 2, 2026, 12:28 PM

    WRAL, CBS 17, ABC11 and WCTI report a Monday-morning lockdown at Franklinton High School after a possible-shooter call. Sheriff Kevin White called the report a false alarm. No page we read said anyone was hurt or that a shooting was found.

Sources

  1. Sheriff: Juvenile in custody from 'active shooter hoax' that caused Franklinton High lockdown (WRAL staff, Bailey Stamos and Flynn Snyder; first RSS pubDate Mon, 02 Nov 2026 10:46:13 -0500; evening reread of the same URL: White said a juvenile suspect is in custody; call at 10:23 a.m. per Franklin County Emergency Management; lockdown; sweep found no threats; White social post called it a false alarm; White quoted, community never in danger and the individual who caused this mess has been identified; authorities did not identify them because of the suspect's age; team still at the school at 4 p.m.; Franklin County Sheriff's Office, Franklinton police, and SBI agents on campus; Franklin County Schools spokesperson Dawayne McIntosh letter, all students and staff safe, no active shooter or immediate threat; public asked to avoid the area. Did not print shortly before 5 p.m. or 'sick and disgusting joke.' Student and parent interview names on this page are not used. Text-only; no WRAL photos or video used.)

    Official sourcePublished by Franklin County Sheriff's Office and Franklin County Emergency Management, via WRAL · Checked Nov 2, 2026, 6:20 PM

  2. Juvenile in custody after no threat found at Franklinton High School following active shooter report, sheriff says (CBS 17 / WNCN, date 2026-11-02T11:01:21, modified 2026-11-02T17:05:14 ET: UPDATE, shortly before 5 p.m., Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White said a juvenile suspect is in custody in connection to the incident; Emergency Management announced an active investigation just before 11 a.m.; SBI at 11:20 a.m. said a possible school shooting had been reported; just after 11:30 a.m. officials said no threats found and no injuries; Principal David Westbrook around 11:40 a.m. said everyone was safe and there was no shooting and told parents to get to their cars; just before noon, pickup plans being worked, families to hear from the district; warning about disinformation; public asked to avoid the area. Did not print 10:23 a.m., the later 'sick and disgusting joke' post, or that a name was withheld because of age. Read via the station's public WordPress JSON because the HTML page returned 403 here. Harrison Grubb photographs are not used. Text-only.)

    Official sourcePublished by Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White, via CBS 17 · Checked Nov 2, 2026, 6:20 PM

  3. One in custody after active shooter hoax at Franklinton High; parents say it was frightening (ABC11 / WTVD, Sean Coffey; Yahoo reprint of the same story stamped 5:30 p.m. EST Nov. 2, 2026; page also showed a 10:30 p.m. stamp: White says one person is in custody; sheriff's updated post, a juvenile individual is in custody in connection with this morning's Active Shooter Hoax; White quoted, sick and disgusting joke, significant mental stress, community was never in danger, individual who caused this mess has been identified; earlier Emergency Management post, officers confirmed no active shooter, all students and staff safe, lockdown, school dismissing early, no injuries. Did not print shortly before 5 p.m. or that a name was withheld because of age. Parent and student interview names on this page are not used. Chopper 11 video is not used. Text-only.)

    Official sourcePublished by Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White, via ABC11 · Checked Nov 2, 2026, 6:20 PM

  4. Students safe after reported shooting at Franklinton High School, sheriff says (WCTI, posted 11:39 a.m. ET Nov. 2, 2026, updated 12:13 p.m.: Sheriff Kevin White 12:01 p.m. statement, school locked down, initial sweep found no signs of any threats, all students safe; SBI and other agencies responded; Emergency Management at 11:32 a.m. said nothing of concern had been found and the investigation remained active; White and deputies remain through the day as officials begin reuniting students with families; White quoted on investigating the origination of the false report; public asked to avoid the high school. Did not print 10:23 a.m., McIntosh, Westbrook, or early dismissal. Text-only; no WCTI photos used.)

    Official sourcePublished by Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White, via WCTI · Checked Nov 2, 2026, 12:22 PM

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