School officials lifted a brief lockdown at Fort Vancouver High School on Wednesday afternoon after determining a student who’d reportedly threatened a shooting at the school did not have a weapon.
Vancouver police responded at 2:03 p.m. to the campus at 5700 E. 18th St. for reports of a threat, emergency dispatch records show.
In a message that Principal Luis Castro Quintanilla sent to students’ families, he said officials investigated a rumor that a student had a weapon on campus. He said they immediately pulled the student out of class and waited for police to arrive.
No weapon was found, Castro Quintanilla said.
Vancouver police determined the rumor was related to a fight and led some to believe there would be a shooting, police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said.
Still, officials put the school in lockdown “out of an abundance of caution until the safety of our students could be confirmed,” according to the principal’s message.
The lockdown lasted roughly 15 minutes before Castro Quintanilla said police gave the all-clear. Kapp said officers took an informational report, but they determined there was no crime.
When officers arrived, they noted some students were running from the building, and some officers directed students back inside to class once the lockdown was lifted, according to emergency radio traffic monitored by The Columbian.
“Our students’ safety and well-being are our top priority, and we take all threats very seriously,” Castro Quintanilla wrote. “We partner closely with law enforcement and follow all guidance issued to us by our first responders.”
