(Added: WSB photo)
10:38 AM: Police have converged on Pathfinder K-8 in Pigeon Point and here’s what we know. The original call that came into 911 was from a passerby who claimed they saw a man with a gun “walking into the school.” According to radio communication, police have NOT found anyone so far but are searching the school. More information as we get it.
10:45 AM: Just to be clear – NO REPORTS OF GUNFIRE. Police, including SWAT officers, are clearing the school room by room. The original description of the person a passerby said they saw was “unknown-race male, 5’5″ to 6’0″, medium build, red puffy coat.”
10:52 AM: Police have just told dispatch “We’ve cleared the whole structure and found no evidence of a weapon, a suspect, or a shooting.” … Individual classrooms remain locked and sheltering in place, they added. (Update – school staff in comments says it’s a lockdown.)
11:04 AM: They’ve been trying to get back in contact with the original caller, who was apparently on their way off-peninsula when they called in the report. … Meantime, SPD has sent a media team member, who will eventually brief us outside the school.
11:17 AM: They’re now checking individual classrooms. Meantime, Police Chief Adrian Diaz is there and has just briefed us.. Notes from our crew in a moment.
11:22 AM: Chief Diaz says there were two 911 calls of concern. One was the original one reported above. The second one, which has come up in comment discussion below, was a 911 call claiming there was a “school shooting” somewhere – no location given. That was an unfounded call – there has been no gunfire anywhere, school or otherwise. No injuries of any kind. Police will stay at the school through day’s end.
11:45 AM: Now our crew says the school’s announced that it’s closing for the rest of the day and setting up procedures for parents to sign out and pick up kids. The police response is downsizing.
12:25 PM: We’ve left the school too but expect more information later – we have followup inquiries out both with police and the district. We have also added three more photos above.
2:42 PM: For the record, here’s the official district statement, from SPS spokesperson Bev Redmond via email:
Earlier today, a concerned citizen contacted 911 to report a potential safety issue regarding the sighting of an individual with a weapon on the Pathfinder K-8 campus. In response to this report, and in close coordination with the Seattle Police Department (SPD), the school initiated a lockdown procedure as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
During a lock-down classroom and exterior doors are locked. Students remain indoors and in their classrooms until the lockdown has been lifted.
We are pleased to report that after a comprehensive safety sweep of the school and campus, SPD confirmed that there was no credible threat to our students or staff. The safety and well-being of our students remain our top priority, and we are grateful for the swift and thorough response of the SPD in this matter.
As of now, the school has transitioned to a shelter-in-place status, maintaining heightened security protocols to ensure ongoing safety. We want to assure all families that Pathfinder students and staff are safe.
During a shelter-in-place, all exterior doors are locked and students remain indoors while the normal instructional day continues.
The school will continue with the school day as scheduled, following the standard Thursday dismissal time of 3:25 p.m.
We understand that incidents like these can be concerning, and we will continue to communicate with the Pathfinder community as we receive further updates and information.
The “continue with the school day” conflicts with what the principal said when we reported it above, but hopefully families have received updates. The district has not yet answered our question about the Genesee Hill shelter-in-place, which appears to have been related to a second unfounded 911 call.
2:55 PM: SPS has just answered that question, also via email: “Genesee Hill was placed in a shelter-in-place as a precaution until SPD could clarify the focal point of the 911 call. Genesee Hill was the former location of Pathfinder K-8.”
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