Student With BB Gun Led To Code Red Lockdown At Dillard High
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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - A gun scare led to the lockdown of a Ft. Lauderdale high school Friday morning.
Broward County Public Schools confirmed that a Code Red was declared at Dillard High and Middle schools.
Ft. Lauderdale police said around 9:15 a.m., a 12-year-old at the middle school next door was caught with a BB gun. Since the middle school and high school share the same campus, both were placed on alert.
No other weapons were found and no injuries were reported.
"I'm still very shaken up about it. I'm just glad to know that everyone I know and everyone I care about is safe," said student Alexis Fortson.
He said not knowing what was happening was frightening.
"We ended up going into a room where we couldn't see or hear anything," he said. "I was in there with two other people, a teacher and a very good friend fo mine and the entire time we were trying to make sure each other was okay but since we couldn't hear anything we all started freaking out, thinking we were hearing things but we couldn't really."
Other students sheltered in place in their classrooms.
"First we have to make sure the door is locked and the window is covered and make sure everyone gets into the closet safe or have a nice hiding spot," said Jessica.
Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione said the 12-year-old was initially sent to the office because he was disruptive in class, that's when the trouble began, as he was meeting with a counselor.
"While in there speaking to several administrators he reached into his backpack, withdrew a firearm, pointed it at one of the staff members and began pulling the trigger," said Maglione.
Maglione said he pulled the trigger several times, not saying if it was loaded. That's when the school went into a "Code Red" lockdown. It was only later they determined it was a BB gun.
After officers determined there was no further threat, the lockdown was lifted and the schools resumed normal operations.
Broward County Public Schools issued the following statement regarding the incident.
Dillard 6-12 administrators are looking into an incident involving a student with a BB gun. School staff and law enforcement responded quickly to this situation and followed safety protocols. The school and the District's Special Investigative Unit are cooperating with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in its investigation.