Buckeye PD: Armed Verrado HS student detained

By Madeline Ackley Salazar
Mail | Twitter: @Mkayackley

Verrado High School in Buckeye was locked down after an armed student was discovered on campus and detained by police Wednesday morning.
Students and staff are safe and the campus is now secure, according to the school and the Buckeye Police Department.

The school announced at 9:20 a.m. that it was on lockdown “due to a weapon on campus.”

At 9:35 a.m. it was announced that the campus is secure and that students were being sent home for the day.

The Buckeye Police Department tweeted that officers were dispatched to Verrado in response to a 911 call placed Wednesday morning that a student had brought a gun on campus.

BPD has responded to a call of an armed student at Verrado High School. The student was located, and the gun has been recovered. No one was hurt. There is no threat to the school or community. pic.twitter.com/dK3BvoyYTW

— Buckeye Police Dept (@BuckeyeAZPD) March 16, 2022

Verrado High School is located off 20050 W. Indian School Road and its major crossroads are near Indian School Road and Jackrabbit Trail. It has a population of around 1,650 students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

“As soon as the threat was reported, the Verrado Administrative team and the on-campus Buckeye Police Officer immediately implemented emergency protocol,” the school announced on its website.

“Buckeye Fire and Police were on the scene quickly to assist. The student with the weapon was detained and the weapon was confiscated. Due to their diligence and quick response, all students were evacuated and remained safe.”

The identity of the student and the surrounding circumstances have not been released.

Madeline Ackley Salazar can be reached at mackley@iniusa.org or found on Twitter @Mkayackley.