Iowa City High was in a lock down Wednesday for reports of shots fired in a nearby neighborhood

Iowa City High School initiated its active shooter safety protocols Wednesday afternoon for reports of shots fired in a nearby neighborhood.

"As part of our standard response protocol, we have placed the building in SECURE mode, keeping all students and staff inside the building with the doors locked," Superintendent Matt Degner wrote in an initial email to families.

After an investigation, police informed the district that there was no current safety threat in the area of City High and students were released from the school.

Police said on Thursday that they responded to reports of shots fired in the 1800 block of High Street, about a quarter-mile west of the school. Responding officers found evidence of shots fired, the release said. No additional information regarding their investigation was immediately available.

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The threat meant students were not released at the end of the school day at 4 p.m. Wednesday as scheduled. Degner's initial email to families was sent at 3:55 p.m. An email confirming the threat was no longer active was sent 14 minutes later at 4:07 p.m.

"There continues to be an increased police presence in the area as they investigate the situation," Degner wrote. "Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work through this incident."

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: City High enters lockdown Wednesday after reports of nearby shots fired