Gunshots Prompt Lockdowns At 3 Fitchburg Schools

FITCHBURG, MA — Three Fitchburg schools were placed on lockdown Friday afternoon due to gunshots.

The gunshots were reported shortly after noon in the area of Harvard and Boutelle streets, the Fitchburg police said in a media release.

"There are three schools located nearby," the release said. "While there is no indication that any of the schools were directly involved, they were placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure."

Officers responding to the report of gunfire found spent shell casings on Harvard Street, according to the release.

The lockdowns were lifted within about a half hour, police said.

"The incident is currently under investigation by Fitchburg Police Department Patrol Officers and Detectives from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation," the release said.

See also:

• NASA Launches UMass Lowell Telescope In Bid To Identify New Planets
• Skywatching Dates To Know For Meteor Showers, Supermoons In MA
• Providence Man Assaulted And Kidnapped 75-Year-Old Woman From Outside Pembroke Restaurant: Cops
• Chelmsford ATM Shooter Captured: Cops
• Potential Threat To Clinton School Lands 1 In Custody: Superintendent