EL CAJON, Calif. (KGTV) - A student's report of a possible firearm at Grossmont High School prompted the school to enter a "secure campus" protocol and spurred a building-by-building search by police officers Thursday morning.
According to El Cajon police officials, just before 9 a.m., a student informed administrators that she spotted what she believed to be a gun inside another student's backpack. Administrators contacted police and placed the school on "secure campus" mode a short time later.
Grossmont Union High School District spokeswoman Catherine Martin initially tweeted that police were looking into a "possible threat" to the school and/or its students. Martin noted that students were "safe/secure."
A short time later, Martin tweeted: "@elcajonpolice reports that no students at Grossmont High School were directly threatened."
She followed with a tweet 20 minutes later that indicated U.S. Customs officials were at the school "ONLY to assist @elcajonpolice with canine searches."
Police officials said officers searched all 20 buildings on the campus. During the search, classes remained in session but all classrooms were locked. Students were only being allowed to use the restroom.
Officials confirmed that bomb-sniffing and gun-sniffing dogs were used during the search, which included some students being patted down and backpack searches.
Just before 12 p.m., Martin said that police "lifted the Secure Campus & was unable to substantiate any threat to students, who will have lunch now & resume classes."
Police officials said no firearm was found during the campus-wide search, and they believe there is no immediate threat to students.
Officials told reporters that the student who reported the incident did not have identifying information on the other student, thus officers could not track that person down.
