Tips About Gun At High School Led To Lockdown, 5 Students In Custody

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Five Highland Park High School students were taken into custody Tuesday after at least one of them was alleged to have a gun at school, according to city and school officials.

Superintendent Bruce Law said someone provided an anonymous tip to district officials shortly before 10:30 a.m. about a student with a gun.

Highland Park High School officials immediately reported the tip to Highland Park police, Law said. After officers arrived, another student came forward to report seeing another a student with a gun.

At this point, police advised the school to go into lockdown, according to the superintendent.

"The student alleged to have a gun was identified and security footage indicated that he and another student had left the building," Law said.

"Law enforcement conducted a sweep of the building while other police searched for the two students who had left the building," he said.

Both those students were "apprehended," the superintendent said. Police took a total of five students into custody, according to city staff.

Neither police nor school officials have indicated any firearms have been found. In a statement, staff said there were no reports of any shots being fired.

Shortly before 12:30 p.m., students were released from the building.

"The scene has been secured and law enforcement has confirmed that there is no credible reason to continue the lockdown at Highland Park High School," staff said.

"The soft lockdown at other public buildings, including City of Highland Park buildings, District 112 schools, District 113 schools, the Park District of Highland Park, and the Highland Park Public Library, has also been lifted."

The end of the lockdown also allowed voting to resume at local polling places.

The Lake County clerk petitioned a judge to extend voting hours at the three locations that were affected by the lockdown: the Highland Park Public Library, Braeside School and Red Oak School.

All three were permitted to remain open for an additional 95 minutes — the same amount of time voting was halted due to the lockdown, the clerk's office announced.

Tuesday's Highland Park High School lockdown comes nine months to the day after a mass shooting at the city's 4th of July parade, where more than 50 people were shot, seven fatally.

A former HPHS student who authorities said has confessed to carrying out the shooting is awaiting trial on murder charges that could bring a sentence of life in prison.

Minutes before the lockdown, dozens of students had walked out of class in a demonstration in favor of increased gun regulations.

Mayor Nancy Rotering said the whole community appreciated the work of Highland Park and other neighboring towns who responded to the incident a the high school.

"While we were so relieved that the event ended without incident, once again, our community was terrorized by the threat of gun violence," Rotering said in a statement.

"We must continue to work towards a time when we can live free from the threat of gun violence," the mayor added. "Those who can, need to take action now, so that our students can go to school without fear of random gun violence. Wherever and whenever they occur, every lockdown, every drill takes a toll on our children and our communities."

UPDATE: Student Charged With Having Gun At Highland Park High School