By Ana Ruiz Brictson | News Editor, Matt Kyle | Assistant News Editor, Rachel Royster | Editor-in-Chief, Danika Young | Broadcast Reporter
There is no credible threat of a shooter at Waco High School, Waco Police Department Public Information Officer Cierra Shipley said. At 3:39 p.m., the Waco Police Department confirmed there was no active shooter via social media.
Waco High School was put on lockdown and evacuated Tuesday afternoon to the BASE Extraco Events Center after an active shooter was falsely reported on campus. Within two hours, students were allowed to leave, and bus schedules resumed as usual.
Shipley said a call came in saying there was an active shooter on Waco High School’s campus.
“We immediately got here and implemented emergency protocols,” Shipley said. “We started clearing the building, and we determined there is no credible threat.”
Waco Police tweeted at 2:21 p.m. that the department was aware of the situation and on the scene. Eighteen minutes later, Waco PD sent out another tweet saying there is no indication of an active shooter, but the department was still clearing the building to ensure the safety of students and staff.
A Baylor student teacher who was locked down at Waco High School told The Baylor Lariat they had not heard any gunshots. The student teacher said they were in the middle of class when a student showed them a text saying there was an active shooter at the school.
The student teacher said they locked the door and continued teaching. Later, the student teacher said security guards began yelling at students to get inside a classroom.
“We let random students in and then went into a lockdown position,” the student teacher said via text.
Luz Dominguez, a mother of two Waco High School students, said she was at work when she received a call about a potential active shooter in the school.
Frustrated and knowing she couldn’t do much, Dominguez said through tears she decided to stay at work with a horrible sensation.
“We controlled ourselves at work because many people in the office had a child in the school,” Dominguez said.
This is an ongoing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Editor’s Note* Luz Dominguez’s interview was translated from Spanish to English given the News Editor interviewed her in Spanish.
