School lockdown stemmed from student’s airsoft pistol
EDWARDS — Schools in the Edwards area were locked down for about an hour Friday morning when a student brought what turned out to be an airsoft pistol — which shoots plastic BBs using a spring mechanism — into a high school building.
Local law enforcement responded to a call Friday morning when a citizen saw a girl moving what appeared to be a firearm into her backpack and then head into the Battle Mountain High School building.
Authorities weren’t immediately certain which school she had entered, or if she had entered one at all, said a letter sent home to parents.
Schools in that area were immediately locked down and the search began, beginning with Battle Mountain.
During the search, a student approached law enforcement officers and said, “I think you’re looking for me,” said a letter sent home to parents.
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The girl was escorted to the office and handed over the airsoft pistol.
The schools were then taken off lock-down status, and the situation was resolved, said Jessie Mosher, public information officer with the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office.
Schools locked down included Battle Mountain, Berry Creek, June Creek Elementary, Red Canyon High School and the Eagle County Charter Academy.
“Because of a vigilant citizen, the quick response by the school district and the Sheriff’s Office, the situation was handled quickly,” Mosher said. “We’d like to thank the citizen for phoning in and the school district for their quick work.”
Local law enforcement trains extensively for these sorts of situations, Mosher said.
“We’d like to remind people that taking a firearm of any sort into a school is against the law,” Mosher said.
Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 or rwyrick@vaildaily.com.
