Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald
Update: The lockdown was lifted after about an hour-and-a-half
By Jon Johnson
PIMA – The Pima School District went on lockdown Wednesday morning while law enforcement investigated a report of a student with a handgun. The lockdown was later lifted at about 9:36 a.m. after no credible threat was found.
“We had a report from a student that they saw a student-aged person on campus with a handgun,” said Pima Superintendent Sean Rickert. “They reported it to a teacher, the teacher reported it to me. We locked things down, did a sweep of the campus, and contacted law enforcement.”
The Pima Police Department, with assistance from Thatcher Police and the Graham County Sheriff’s Office, and others, checked the school for the person but nobody matching the description of the alleged suspect was found.
Pima Police Chief Diane Cauthen issued the following press release after the lockdown was lifted.
“At approximately 8:25 (a.m.) Pima officers were notified of a possible juvenile male subject walking toward Pima School with a handgun. School officials place the school in lockdown. Officers arrived on scene and questioned witnesses. There was no evidence that subject entered any of the school buildings on campus. The school was searched and no subject matching the witness description was found. Thanks goes out to Thatcher PD, Safford PD, Department of Public Safety, and the Graham County Sheriff’s Office for their support with the incident.”
At about 9 a.m., the school was still on lock down while waiting for law enforcement to complete its sweep.
“Right now, we’re just waiting for law enforcement to finish doing their sweep to make sure everything is safe,” Rickert said. “So, students are just basically staying in class. Doors are locked and nobody is moving around campus. But we hope to return to normal operations soon.”
The lockdown was lifted at about 9:36 a.m.
