SHORELINE, Wash. — All Shoreline schools were closed and in lockdown for more than two hours while deputies hunted for a gunman who was reported to have been seen at Meridian Park Elementary.
The lockdown has since been lifted, but schools remained closed. On Wednesday evening, the school district announced they would be opening for school on Thursday morning -- with regular hours. They also said additional officers would be present at all buildings.
The armed man, as of Wednesday evening, had not been located by police.
In a news release, King County Sheriff’s Office said an employee reported he had been making a delivery at the school when he saw a man that he believed had some type of long gun. This unknown man reportedly made a statement that alluded to him going to all of the schools. The man who made threats against the school then ran away.
That employee called 911, which brought a large police response and a lockdown at the school about 8 a.m. The Shoreline district eventually decided to lock down every school in the district, under advisement from law enforcement.
The man was spotted in the area of North 175th Street and Meridian Avenue North. School had not yet started at Meridian Park and very few children and staff were there at the time.
The only suspect description is that of a man wearing camouflage pants and a dark hooded sweatshirt who had a rifle. His race and age are not known.
No arrests have been made.
Officers were posted at all Shoreline schools until all children had left per school instructions.
Deputies said they used K-9s to search the area and cleared the entire school, but the suspect was not found. Officers said the lockdown worked to keep the area contained and the people that were there safe.
Students who were on their way to school on Shoreline buses had to be picked up by parents at the Spartan Recreation Center.
Because many students were sent there without ever having arrived for the start of school, a district spokesperson told KIRO 7 that administrators decided it would be simpler to close all schools for the day and send children home.
Parents lined up at the center to show their ID's and take their children home.
The Shoreline Public Schools public information officer, Craig Degginger, said, “I think it was just out of an abundance of caution … and we’re talking about a fairly tight geographic area.”
He referred to the fact that the entire school district is only 16 square miles.
He said the incident happened during the early morning hours, “in an urban setting, right at the beginning of the day, so I think it was the right call.”
Middle and high school students were already in class when the lockdown began.
At Einstein Middle School, eighth-grader Ian Brown said he was kept in his first period English class.
"After they said [the lockdown] was lifted, everyone just started texting their parents saying they could pick you up," Brown said.
Parent Vicky Hoag was on the way to drop her daughter off at Meridian Park Elementary when she heard about the lockdown.
She took her daughter home and checked for news about the incident -- while staying in contact with her son, who was already at class in Shorewood High School
"As a mom and not knowing if they've caught this guy still makes me very uneasy," Hoag said.
The Sheriff's Office said the threat made was a general threat. They consider the man who made threat to be dangerous.
"I would think that any person that's foolish to enough to be on any sort of school property with a firearm of any kind, that's threatening to all of us. So we take that very seriously," said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman D.B. Gates.
Deputies are checking with people who live in the neighborhood where the gunman was seen to see if anyone has surveillance cameras.
Meridian Park Elementary School was put on a second lockdown in the afternoon, for about 15 minutes -- while only staff were present, according to the district.
Degginger said law enforcement advised the district that a potential suspect was being interviewed at the time, but no one has been arrested.
Anyone with information should call the King County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center at (206) 296-3311.
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Live updates from earlier:
10:50 a.m. Deputies are checking with people who live in the neighborhood where the gunman was seen to see if anyone had surveillance cameras.
10:46 a.m. The Sheriff's Office said the threat made in Shoreline was a general threat. They consider the man who made threat to be dangerous.
10:45 a.m. The Shoreline School District is still deciding about whether there will be school on Thursday.
10:45 a.m. King County Deputies and Shoreline police continue to search for the man who made the threat. He was last seen in a neighborhood southwest of the school.
10:44 a.m. Deputies searched Meridian Park Elementary and found no sign of the man who made a threat against the school. All schools remain closed.
10:30 a.m. Evergreen School Shoreline: Closed. School canceled due to police activity in the area.
10:16 a.m. Shoreline Schools: The lockout has been lifted at all Shoreline Schools. All students are safe and under the care of school personnel.
Elementary school students: Families of those students who were on campus before school will be contacted by their school to arrange pickup.
Students who were en route to school may be picked up by a family member at the Spartan Recreation Center at Shoreline Center, 18560 1st Ave. NE. Please bring your ID.
Middle School students: Families may pick up their student at Einstein or Kellogg. Students will not be allowed to walk home.
High School students: Students may leave via their own transportation or be picked up by a parent. Students will not be allowed to walk home. Find more information for parents here.
10:11 a.m. Sheriff's Office: Middle and high school students can be picked up at their school. Parents with students in early start or at other schools will be contacted about picking up their children.
10:09 a.m. The district-wide lockdown is lifted for students and staff who were already at schools. Police presence will remain at schools until all children are released.
10:04 a.m. Shoreline Community College open and operating on a normal schedule. "Police activity that prompted a response by Shoreline Schools doesn't impact college."
9:49 a.m. A school employee said a person with firearm made a threat against the school when they came upon them on the school grounds.
9:45 a.m. A school employee said they came across someone with a gun at 8:10 a.m. on the Meridian Park Elementary grounds. The school had not yet opened.
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