School Lockdown Caused by 13-Year-Old Boy with Pellet Gun

Hingham police determined Thursday afternoon that a 13-year-old boy with an air soft gun was the person seen in the woods behind Foster Elementary School who caused the school to be temporarily locked down.

The lockdown – put into effect at 3:10 p.m. when the school notified police that a man with a ski mask was possibly carrying a gun – was lifted 23 minutes later, after officers discovered the boy with a group of youths on a nearby street.

"Further investigation lead to a recovery of an air soft gun (which is does not fire bullets but is designed to be a replica of an actual gun)," the department said in an electronic message.

"One of the youths was positively identified by a witness as the one seen carrying the gun."

Numerous police officers responded to the scene, including some working at a nearby construction site. Regular dismissal had already occurred by then, but the school still contained small groups of students and staff in after school programs.

The boy was turned over to his parents and an investigation is ongoing.