BUCKEYE, AZ — At a school board meeting Monday night, the Buckeye police outlined their response to Freedom Elementary School after someone brought a gun to the pick-up line last week.
The department arrested four teens involved in a fight Wednesday afternoon as parents waited for dismissal. A 19-year-old brought a handgun to the campus.
“It was very chaotic. There were parents lined up, there were kids out there,” Police Chief Bob Sanders said.
Police said they received the call at 3:49 p.m., with the suspect detained by 3:56 p.m.
With students outside in the parking lot during the incident, parents expressed concern over the release of the children while everything was going on.
“A gun on campus is an imminent danger because that person was not in custody at the time I called. Anything could have happened,” a parent told ABC15. “I would rather you inconvenience me to wait in the parking lot for 10 extra minutes or 20 extra minutes while you get a situation under control than release the students into a situation that you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Sanders said officers controlled the situation quickly during dismissal time, avoiding the need for a lockdown.
“We knew that the suspect had started to walk away from campus, so there was no reason to put the school on lockdown or secure mode,” Sanders said.
The Liberty Elementary School District 25 Chief Safety Officer released a statement on the response:
“We take the safety of our students and staff very seriously and always work closely with our law enforcement partners to follow the emergency response protocols that they recommend. In this case, the situation unfolded very quickly. School officials were not aware of the incident taking place in our parking lot until after dismissal began, the individual involved had already been taken into custody by law enforcement. The Buckeye Police Department responded very quickly and had the situation fully controlled. They advised that a lockdown was not necessary.
Anytime an incident happens on one of our campuses, we take it seriously and as an opportunity to reflect and strengthen our practices. In this instance, we met the following day with the Buckeye Chief of Police. We are always working with our law enforcement partners for best practices and safety. We are grateful for the parents and citizens who called 911 and to the Buckeye Police Department for their partnership, ensuring our campuses remain safe.
We are proud to report that the Buckeye Police Chief has no recommendation for improvements in handling this situation.”
