Denver police took two suspects into custody and recovered a paintball gun after Northfield High School was placed on lockdown Thursday morning over a report of a student with a weapon, authorities said.
Police and district officials provided few details about the incident, including what charges the two suspects might face and if there were other firearms recovered. Denver police Chief Paul Pazen repeatedly stressed that students and staff in the school were safe.
“All students, all staff, the family that is Northfield, is safe,” he said
Denver police that “any potential charges are pending” against the two people taken into cusody.
The school will be closed for the rest of the day. Parents can pick up their kids at DPS’s northeast bus terminal at 4937 Dallas St.
“We had a foolish act,” Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero said at a news conference.
Denver police have not said whether the two people taken into custody are students; they alternately described them as “suspects” and “individuals” in police tweets and at a news conference with Chief Paul Pazen.
Pazan wouldn’t confirm where the paintball gun was found on campus or whether there was a specific threat against students.
Denver police officers were “investigating a report of a suspicious occurrence.” The site of the incident was the school’s gym building, and police cleared students from the building, school officials .
A student saw something suspicious and notified campus security, who notified police, Pazen said.
Thursday was the last day of the school for Northfield High, which shares a campus with DSST: Conservatory Green High School. There are about 2,000 students on the campus, Marrero said.
“There has been no discharge of firearms and no students have been harmed to my knowledge,” a school official wrote in the Facebook post, adding. “We are all hoping it is a false alarm, but we definitely understand how terribly scary and anxiety-provoking it is, especially given recent events in Texas.”
ALERT: Officers are at Northfield HS investigating a report of a suspicious occurrence. Large police presence; this is an active investigation. Updates will be posted to this thread as more information becomes available.
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice)
Denver Public Schools has increased uniformed police presence in and around schools following a mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas where at least 19 young children and two teachers were killed.
Students who are not on campus should stay home, Northfield High said on Facebook.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
