CITRUS COUNTY, FL. – A Citrus County High School went on lockdown Friday after a student reported a gunman in the school.
At approximately 11:39 a.m. on Friday, December 10, during class change at Lecanto High School, a teacher activated her crisis alert badge after it was reported to her that a possible gunman was in a hallway.
Within seconds, administration and law enforcement was immediately notified and responded to that teacher’s location. It was determined that a student had shouted during the class change that he observed another student with a gun.
As a result, students started running through the hallway. At that time, a lockdown was initiated for the entire Lecanto School complex.
Administration and law enforcement immediately located the student who made the announcement in the hallway and started an investigation. After identifying discrepancies within the student’s story, it was determined that the student did not see a gun prior to making his announcement in the hallway.
At the end of this investigation, a Lecanto High School student was arrested for violating Florida state statute 790.163 (False report concerning the use of firearms in a violent manner) which is a second-degree felony.
“I want to be clear. Threats of violence should never be a joking matter and those seeking attention for these types of situations will be prosecuted to the fullest extent,” says District Police Chief Dave Vincent. “Our administrators and first responders acted immediately to the reported threat for the safety of our students and staff and had a resolution to the investigation in less than 30 minutes.”
As always, we encourage parents and caregivers to talk with their children about the importance of reporting timely and accurate information regarding school safety.
If you or your child need to report suspicious activity, please contact 9-1-1.
You can also remain anonymous by calling or texting Crime Stoppers at 1-888-ANY-TIPS or Fortify Florida which is located on every student’s school-issued iPad. Fortify Florida is also available in the app store.
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