WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Law enforcement from across the region converged at a church near Walla Walla High School following reports of a man with a gun. With all nearby schools in lockdown to prevent a tragedy, officials learned that the weapon spotted was merely an airsoft gun.
According to an announcement from the Walla Walla Police Department, initial reports came in around 8:43 a.m. on October 5, triggering a widescale response from the city’s police, county deputies and Washington State Patrol Troopers at the high school on the 800-block of Abbott Rd.
Meanwhile, the school resource officer for the area and law enforcement officials promptly initiated concurrent lockdowns at Walla Walla High School and Prospect Point Elementary. Investigators began to seek details and descriptions of the suspect.
Shortly after, the suspect, an 18-year-old male, was located in the area of a nearby church. They learned that he was “playing with an airsoft gun” just down the road from the school and confirmed that there was no danger to the school community at large.
Schools were taken out of lockdown and normal operations resumed when Walla Walla law enforcement officials explained the situation to school leaders. With the threat of mass casualty incidents rising across the United States, Sgt. Gunner Fulmer expressed a message for anyone and everyone who partakes in airsoft and other similar recreational activities.
“Area Law Enforcement takes all these incidents very seriously and asks that adults educate family members on the dangers of displaying airsoft or even toys guns, in the area of our schools, or in public locations,” Sgt. Fulmer stated.
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