Austin High School lockdown lifted after report of firearm

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Austin High School went into a lockdown due to a “security concern” Wednesday afternoon.

According to an announcement from Austin Public Schools, the lockdown was put into place at 12:06 p.m. and was lifted at 1:59 p.m.

The district said they actively responded to the situation and collaborated with emergency responders.

Austin Police Department said its School Resource Officer, assigned to Austin High School (AHS), requested additional help at the school. This was due to a report of a firearm that had possibly been brandished at AHS.  

Police, along with the Mower County Sheriff’s Office, worked collaboratively with the school to investigate. During the on-site investigation, the school enacted its standard response protocol and went into the lockdown.

Police continue to investigate the matter. However, they have not been able to confirm that a firearm was present at AHS Wednesday.

“The safety of students and staff at the Austin High School is our highest priority. We appreciated the patience of those folks, as well as parents, as we sought to determine the validity of the report. We do use all our available staff, will call in additional Officers, and request assistance from the Sheriff’s Department in order to ensure that we are both being thorough but also respectful of the time that staff and students are in a lockdown.”

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