Caddo Sheriff Links Substitute Teacher To False Shooter Alerts At Five Schools

Multiple Caddo Parish schools were forced into active shooter protocols following a series of emergency alerts on August 19th, 2026. The incidents caused immediate security measures to activate throughout the Parish school district.

Law enforcement officials were notified about a possible active shooter situation after the school system's internal management system had alerts reported from 5 schools. Authorities quickly established the threats were not real, then started tracing the source of the panic.

It Was A Substitute Teacher Triggering The Active Shooter Alerts

Don Gibbs, who serves as the Director of Security for the Caddo Parish School Board, initially informed investigators of the system usage. The Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office eventually identified 58-year-old Lytonja Barfield, a substitute teacher, as the individual responsible for utilizing the district's active shooter alert platform.

The notifications were sent to five different campuses within the district...triggering rapid safety measures across the facilities. School administrators quickly initiated security protocols to lock down locations while law enforcement investigated the alerts.

Caddo Parish Law Enforcement Response To School Threats

Investigators with the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office located the suspect shortly after the system trace was completed. Barfield was questioned regarding the incident before being transported to the Caddo Correctional Center...where she was officially booked on five counts of "Menacing".

Under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:40.1, Menacing involves intentional communication that a violent crime is imminent, while knowing it will cause serious disruption to the general public, when you know it to be false. This charge is heavily related to the Terrorizing charge. A single count of Menacing carries a penalty of up to two years of imprisonment, with or without hard labor...and a fine that can reach $1,000 per offense.