A Highlands Ranch man accidentally fired a gun and hit the door of a nearby middle school on Wednesday morning, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to , 1731 W. Wildcat Reserve Parkway, after a student and teacher reported a loud noise at 11:15 a.m., sheriff’s office spokesperson Deborah Takahara said.
The student and teacher heard a loud pop and saw a puff of smoke coming out of the bedroom window of a house adjacent to the school, according to a from the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office discovered a neighbor had accidentally fired a gun and the bullet struck an exterior door at the school, causing minor damage, officials said.
No one was injured in the incident.
The school’s resource officers put the building on a secure perimeter when the shot was fired, and deputies on patrol in the area responded to the scene, according to the news release. While deputies were investigating, the neighbor approached them and self-reported the shooting.
He told deputies he believed the weapon was unloaded, but he had failed to remove a round from the chamber and accidentally fired it, sheriff’s officials said.
The man is cooperating with investigators and criminal charges are pending, the sheriff’s office said.
In an email to parents and guardians Wednesday, Ranch View Principal Erin Kyllo said school leaders immediately notified the sheriff’s office after there was a loud noise near the building.
The middle school was on a secure status for about 10 minutes, Kyllo wrote, and there was nothing to suggest a threat to students or staff.
