Austin High School put on lockdown Wednesday afternoon after report of a firearm in the school

Austin High School was put on lockdown for nearly two hours Wednesday afternoon after a report of a firearm in the school.

Austin Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Joey Page reported that shortly before noon Wednesday, a report of a firearm being brandished at the high school was brought to the attention of school administration.  Minutes later, the Austin Police Department’s School Resource Officer, assigned to the high school requested additional assistance at the school due to the report, and Austin Chief of Police Dave McKichan reported that officers from the department, along with the Mower County Sheriff’s Office worked collaboratively with the school to investigate the matter.  During an on-site investigation, Chief McKichan stated that the school enacted their standard response protocol, which included going into lockdown status from approximately 12:06 p.m. to 1:59 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.  

McKichan went on to report that the investigation into the incident is ongoing, and he added that authorities have not been able to establish that a firearm was present at the high school on Wednesday at this time.