Hamilton police Sgt. Brian Robinson said police and school officials did their due diligence this morning in order to make sure that everybody was safe, adding the lockdown was initiated for precautionary reasons.
“It was for a safety precaution. We received a call from someone in a residential area near the two schools that claimed her father had been shot. Officers responded to the alleged scene and sent notification to our School Resource Officer working in that area,” Robinson said.
Police responded, but could not find a victim and determined that it was a false call, he said.
The caller was arrested and charged with inducing panic and making false alarms.
“There was never any danger to anyone in the neighborhood or at the neighboring schools,” Robinson said.
INITIAL REPORT:
Fairwood Elementary and Garfield Middle schools were briefly placed on lockdown Monday morning as police investigated a report of violence in the area.
Monday was the first day of classes for students in Hamilton City Schools.
Hamilton police requested the two schools, located across the street from each other on Fair Avenue, go into lockdown because they were investigating a serious report of violence in the area, according to Joni Copas, Hamilton City Schools director of communications.
“The police notified us that they were looking into an incident around 8 a.m. or so, so we had them on a lockdown for about 10 to 15 minutes,” Copas said. “Garfield started at 8:20 a.m. so most of those kids were already in school and then the Fairwood students don’t really start until later.”
Start time for Fairwood Elementary is 9 a.m., according to the district’s website, with morning preschool beginning at 8:45 a.m.
After the brief disruption during the first day of school, Copas said things were quickly returned to normal.
“Police notified us that they took care of the incident and then schools went back into session,” she said.
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