A Snapchat photo of a student with a gun in his waistband led Aurora police on Friday to swarm Rangview High School in search of the armed juvenile, who officials say was detained with a BB gun in his possession less than an hour later off campus.
Rangeview High, 17599 E. Iliff Ave., and two nearby middle schools were locked down just after 11 a.m. as more than 70 officers, including SWAT team members, responded. The incident was reported by the school’s resource officer, police said. No shots were fired and no one was injured.
UPDATE We are investigating a possibly armed party in Rangeview HS. No one is injured. No shots have been fired. No suspect has been found. We are looking for a suspect as shown below, please call 911 if you know this person or have info. Rangeview is NOT evacuating at this time.
— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD)
“I am extremely grateful for all of the officers who quickly responded to Rangeview High School,” Chief Nick Metz said. “I wanted to also praise the Aurora Public School security officers who assisted our officers with scene security and access to the buildings.”
As part of the lockdown, students were ordered to “shelter in place.” Students outside the school buildings were rushed off the property and told to “rendezvous with officers down the street for further instructions.”
Just after noon, an officer in the area of South Buckley Road and East Evans Avenue saw a young male, matching a description of the suspect in the Snapchat photo, with another young male.
One of the two juveniles was armed with a BB gun, which looked like a “real firearm,” police said. Both juveniles were taken to the District 3 station and interviewed before being released to their parents. Criminal charges are pending, police said.
Both suspects are Rangview students, police said.
As the incident unfolded, anxious parents rushed to a nearby King Soopers parking lot at Iliff Avenue and Buckley Road to pick up students who weren’t inside as part of the lockdown.
