Del Campo High School lockdown lifted after report of potential threat on campus
FAIR OAKS — Del Campo High School was on lockdown Monday afternoon after reports of a gun on campus.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said a caller reached out to police claiming he was armed in a locker room and ready to kill. The school was eventually cleared and the threat was deemed not credible, but not before parents and students were affected.
It's a moment freshman Oleg Rassikhin will never forget.
"[There were] a whole lot of police cars and I heard a chopper fly really close," Rassikhin said.
After hearing the reports of a gun on campus, students in one Del Campo High School gym class were told to run.
"Everyone started running back in the P.E. room behind the stage. I just hopped the fence," Rassikhin said.
The sheriff's office said the campus chaos unfolded after a caller dialed the Los Rios Police Department's non-emergency line claiming he was a student in a locker room and he was armed. The caller went on "saying he was being bullied and was threatening to shoot everyone," said Sgt. Amar Gandhi with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies raced to campus ready to act.
"This is the ultimate big red handle call for us. We've learned from other incidents that have taken place recently [that] these deputies aren't waiting. They are going to put themselves in harm's way," Sgt. Gandhi said.
After deputies cleared classrooms, they determined there was no gun and the caller wasn't on campus. They also determined the caller likely wasn't a student.
"I'm disheartened for our students," said Greg Snyder, the principal at Del Campo High School. "There's going to be some trauma we have to follow through with the next couple of days."
CBS13 reached out to Dr. Peter Yellowlees, a professor of psychiatry at UC Davis, who said even a false alarm like this can impact students deeply.
"If the students want to talk about it, they should talk about it with friends, parents, [and] counselors. It's important to not force people to talk about things that can duplicate the trauma," he said.
Students were dismissed from campus after the lockdown was lifted. They were relieved to find their parents waiting.
Guidance counselors and resources will be available for students in the coming days.