By Charlene Bisson
Centennial High School was placed on lockdown for 3 and a half hours after reports of a student with a gun on Friday, Feb. 10, 2017.
By
Chris Caraveo,
Independent Newsmedia
After reports of a student carrying a handgun put Centennial High School on lockdown, police did not locate any weapon, according to a release.
Officials lifted the lockdown at about 2 p.m., according to a school's Twitter account.
According to police, a male student denied having a weapon with him. A thorough search of the school - including the student’s locker and backpack - was conducted and no weapon was located.
Police responded to the report at about 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 10. The district sent out an alert about the situation at about 10:30 a.m. Friday.
According to the alert, a student informed school administration of seeing the male student with a handgun in his waistband on campus.
As a precaution, officials notified police and officers arrived on campus to investigate.
Police located the student inside of a classroom in session and asked him to come into the hallway so no other students were around. He cooperated fully, and officers detained him without incident.
After a detailed search of the school resulted in no weapon found, the student in question was released to his guardian. Officials lifted the lockdown as soon as the school was deemed safe by officers at the scene.
A Peoria Police spokesperson said no false reporting charges will be filed.
No one was allowed to enter or leave the campus during the lockdown. All students and staff are safe.
Police applauded the concerned student who reported seeing the weapon and alerted faculty and staff, the department stated in a release.
A Peoria Police Department officer tells people Centennial High School will lift its lockdown on Friday, Feb. 10, 2017.
"The Peoria Police Department takes every report of potential violence at a school very seriously, and fully investigated this incident," according to the release.
The district is not releasing any information on the student at this time, a spokesperson stated.
Classrooms were dismissed one building at a time, and students were escorted to the cafeteria for lunch.
The school let out for the day at 2:20 p.m.
Centennial High School is part of the Peoria Unified School District and serves about 2,200 students.
