What happened at C.E. Byrd High School?
Just before noon on Sept. 6, the Shreveport Police Department received a call from a concerned citizen reporting an armed man walking at the intersection of Kings Highway and Creswell Avenue.
The individual was reported to be wearing all black with a red bandana and concealing an assault rifle.
Don Gibbs, Caddo Parish Schools Director of Security said, "the caller said the person was heading in this direction. Shreveport police was dispatched, and officers came out to try to make contact and find the person reported."
Officers were unable to locate the individual. C.E. Byrd High School and Creswell Elementary School were made aware of this threat and both campuses were placed on lockdown.
Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office, Shreveport Police Department and Louisiana State Police combed the surrounding areas and campuses deeming it safe for students to return to normal activity around 12:45 p.m.
Cpt. Bobby Herring, Criminal Investigations Division at Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office said that the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office along with the Shreveport Police Department remained at both campuses until school is over.
More: UPDATE: Lockdown lifted at Byrd High after reports of armed person
Concerned parents gathered on the sidewalk of Byrd High School while law enforcement conducted a thorough search of the school. When the school reopened Caddo Parish Superintendent along with Caddo Parish Sheriff representatives spoke with the parents.
A parent who wished to remain anonymous was questioning the steps in which the school board followed following the lockdown. According to parents, they were not advised of the lockdown in a timely manner and were receiving messages from their children.
Around12:54 p.m. parents received this message from Caddo Parish Schools:
"This afternoon Shreveport Police Department contacted Byrd to place the school in lockdown after a call came into SPD stating that a possibly armed individual was seen near the campus. SPD and Caddo Sheriff’s deputies immediately responded and conducted a thorough search of every room of the school as well as the perimeter. Law enforcement has determined there is not a threat to the campus. The lockdown is in the process of being lifted at this time. As a precaution, additional law enforcement will remain at the campus through the rest of the day."
A concerned parent, who asked not to be named, said, "we should have been notified in some type of way whether it's just a text message saying the school is on lockdown we are enforcing our lockdown procedures. You did not have to go into great details to let us know, but we had to go on Facebook to find out our school is on lockdown."
Parents were lined up outside of Byrd High School Wednesday afternoon waiting to check their students out.
Read: Man arrested after allegedly attacking a Shreveport Police Officer
Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Here's what happened at C.E. Byrd High School Wednesday afternoon
