Austin Middle School No Longer On Lockdown, Irving Police Investigating Report Of Man With Long Rifle In Parking Lot
IRVING, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Austin Middle School in Irving is no longer on lockdown and will reopen this morning as police continue to investigate a report of a man with a gun on campus. Police say there was no suspect or weapon found but they are doing a secondary search.
During a news conference, police said a 911 call came in at around 7 a.m. from a parent who reported seeing a man with a long rifle and possibly a handgun getting out a pickup truck in the parking lot of the school. The caller said she did not see the person go into the school.
The school was placed on lockdown as police searched the area for anything suspicious. There were no reports of any injuries during the lockdown.
Police said they did not find anyone who matched the description from the call but that they are still investigating and searching for a possible person of interest.
Irving ISD said students and staff were redirected to Pierce Early Childhood School at 901 N. Britain during the lockdown.
When asked about a person having a weapon on the school's property, Irving officer Robert Reeves said "If that were to occur, that is obviously a very bad idea for anybody in this day and age to be on a campus with any type of a firearm, so we definitely don't encourage that behavior. And schools are weapons-free zones so that would be an incident as well."