Oro Grande schools placed under lockdown after report of an armed man
Schools in Oro Grande were placed under lockdown Wednesday afternoon after a man with a possible gun was reported near one of the campuses.
Deputies received the call at 1:08 p.m. in the 19900 block of National Trails Highway, the same address as Riverside Preparatory School.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Mara Rodriguez said a passerby had seen “a man waving a dark object around, which he thought may be a gun” near the school.
“A deputy was on scene within 3-5 minutes and the subject was gone,” she said.
Riverside Preparatory — which includes a middle school, high school and nearby elementary school — were placed on lockdown as deputies searched the area.
A sheriff’s helicopter also flew over to aid in the search. Rodriguez said no suspect was found, however.
Kevin Trudgeon, spokesperson for the Oro Grande School District, said the lockdowns were lifted after the district received an “all clear” from the sheriff’s department at 2:20 p.m.
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“We followed advice of law enforcement, we followed our lockdown procedures,” he said. “We appreciate the patience and understanding of our families.”
The lockdowns occurred just a day after an 18-year-old gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Trudgeon acknowledged that district officials understood “in this climate it is very scary for something like this to happen.
“We want them to know that we put the safety or our students and our staff as the priority,” he said.
Daily Press reporter Martin Estacio may be reached at 760-955-5358 or MEstacio@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_mestacio.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Riverside Preparatory goes on lockdown after report of man with gun
