Another school scare took place Wednesday, this time at Lamont Elementary School. Kern County Sheriff's investigators say two second-graders reported seeing a man with a gun trying to jump the school fence. Another thought they heard gunfire.
Investigators interviewed those students. Deputies believe they all saw something, but a search of the school and the park right next to it didn't turn up a gunman.
Teachers were calling out the names of students after the lockdown, trying to reunite them with their parents who panicked after seeing patrol cars race to their kids' school.
"I'm not sure what's going on," said one parent. "I live right down there and I saw all of the police coming and I called and it was busy, so I came down here."
"They told me to come over here to the back and then the front, and I was like what is going on," said parent, Fabiola Morales. "So, I started running back and forth. I didn't know where to go because I was really scared."
"I stared seeing a lot of police," said parent, David Amezcua, "But, once I started seeing them come to the school, I got concerned cause of all of the stuff that's been going on."
Sheriff's deputies and Arvin police rushed to the school during recess around 1:25 Wednesday afternoon. That's when three second-graders reported a problem. Two said they saw a man with a gun try to scale the fence from the park onto campus. One said they thought they heard gunfire.
"We immediately dispatched deputies, set up the perimeter, began searching the school grounds and the interior of the school, and, at this point, we have not been able to locate anyone who matches that description in the area," said Ray Pruitt, Kern County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies were unable to determine if the man seen by the students attempting to climb the fence was, in fact, armed with a handgun. There was no evidence or indication a shot had been fired in the area. The lockdown of the campus was lifted after about one hour and students were released to their parents.
"I though we did very well," said Assistant Superintendent Jose Cantu. "I'm very proud of our staff and our students, and our parents were very cooperative."
Cantu says the school recently sent letters home with kids saying the school would be practicing safety drills in the near future. That's why some parents thought Wednesday's incident was a drill at first.
School will go on as scheduled Thursday and deputies will keep a close eye on that campus.
The investigation is ongoing. If anyone has information, call the Sheriff's Office at 861-3110.
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