GFPD: No gun at CMR this morning, school was evacuated during investigation
The report of a potential threat at CMR High School on May 25 turned out to be a benign object and officials have determined there is no threat at the school.
In a release, the Great Falls Police Department said that the initial report came in early this morning from a parent who told the school resource officer that during morning drop-off they had seen a student place a gun into a bag and walk into the school.
Detectives worked with the parent to review surveillance video and identified the situation in question, according to GFPD. The students involved were located within the school and were questioned.
Detectives determined that the item seen by the parent was a “benign object that could have been mistaken for the barrel of a gun. It was determined there was no threat. The students who were questioned were fully cooperative, have been cleared of any wrongdoing, and were released to their parents,” according to the GFPD release.
The report of a potential person with a weapon in the school came into the SRO at CMR shortly before 8 a.m. on May 25.
The school was placed on lockdown while officials investigated and GFPD increased their presence on campus with multiple law enforcement agencies. Around 11 a.m., officials evacuated the school while they continued their investigation.
All activities at CMR were canceled for the day.
Several other schools near CMR sheltered in place for the morning as a precaution but that was lifted by 11:15 a.m. and all other schools operated normally for the rest of the day.
It was the last day for seniors at CMR, according to GFPS.
School resumes at CMR on May 26 with all scheduled activities and events.
Counselors will be available for any students or staff that need support, according to GFPS.
The incident came day after a shooting at a Texas elementary school left 21 dead, including 19 children, according to multiple reports.
“We are grateful for the parent who reported what they saw. We strongly encourage this kind of diligence; community members should be reassured it is always appropriate to report suspicious activity, that is the only way we can work to ensure safety,” according to the GFPD release. “In every school across Great Falls, there are children, family members, and friends of GFPD personnel; we understand first-hand how frightening this type of situation can be. We appreciate the community’s patience and cooperation as we worked to ensure the safety of students and staff, and resolve the incident.”
