DOUGLAS COUNTY—Out of an abundance of caution School Resource Officers initiated a lockout – allowing no one to exit or enter – four Lawrence Public Schools Thursday afternoon, according to a statement from Lawrence Police.
Officers were investigating a potential threat. Police were called to 19th and Massachusetts because someone said a man was acting strangely and might have a gun. Another person heard the same man say there was going to be a mass-shooting at Lawrence High School.
Patrol officers immediately began searching for the man. The School Resource Officers quickly worked to secure LHS and three nearby schools – Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, Cordley Elementary School, and Schwegler Elementary School.
The lockout began shortly after 1pm. Patrol officers continued their search for the man and found him in the 900 block of Vermont. He was extremely combative. Officers were forced to restrain the man to get him into a van, then transported him to the Douglas County Correctional Facility.
He faces several potential charges including possession of drug paraphernalia. He was not in possession of a gun at the time of his arrest.
The schools were able to open back up for a regular dismissal.