Police responded to a report of shots fired at 8:44 a.m. Monday at Plymouth Middle School, the city’s police department announced in a press release.
Officers “heard what they recognized as gunshots within the building” and were able to defuse the situation without using force, Plymouth Police Chief Erik Fadden said at a press conference.
No injuries were reported. One person, confirmed to be a student, was taken into custody inside the building and police are not looking for any additional suspects at this time.
The school was still in lockdown as of late Monday morning. Parents are being directed to a reunification point at a neighboring school if they want to take their kids home.
“It’s not a fun day for anyone that has to manage a gun in a school but we all work together and we will make sure that we have a positive outcome from this incident today,” said Stephanie Burrage, superintendent of Robbinsdale Area Schools.
Officials said the incident happened in a hallway outside of a bathroom. There were a few students who witnessed the incident. Multiple shots were fired and a weapon has been recovered.
“Thank God there was a school resource officer there who can handle and deescalate the situation so nobody was hurt,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson, whose office is assisting with the ongoing investigation.
Hutchinson also responded to online rumors that the student made a racially charged comment prior to firing the weapon.
“We don’t know all the facts yet,” he said. “We cannot speculate like we’ve been doing on other things.”
Burrage encouraged parents to follow the school district’s social media channels for updates.
This is a developing story. Check back at Alpha News for updates.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
