NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Police lifted a lockdown at a high school in North Miami Beach after investigating reports someone was in possession of a gun.
Officers responded to Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Sr. High Biscayne Bay Campus, located at 2601 NE 151st St., Thursday morning.
The threat was posted to social media which several students saw.
The post read: “Basically this guy brought a gun to school and he was yelling and screaming at all the classes and some [explitive] happened… there is a bunch of police trying to arrest him and ik cause of a group chat and they are in the classroom right next to where it’s happening and he is banging on doors trying to get in.”
Parents said they received a call from the principal to alert them of a Code Red in the building.
Parents arrived on campus to pick up their children, but they were not able to enter the building.
“So they’re Code Red,” said parent Marta Solodko. “My kids texted, my daughter at least texted, that it was a Code Red. They’re under their desks against the walls and it’s dark. The doors are locked. I asked her if she hears anything, she says she doesn’t. These are our kids in there. It’s insane.”
“I was shaking and hysterical because right away you think of Parkland,” said parent Karlan Cifuentes.
Inside the building, students hid under their desks for at least three hours.
“One time we were in the classroom, and there was knocking at the door, and everybody thought it was the school shooter, and we just went down the other way. Everybody was scared, and then we found out it was the police knocking at the door,” said one student.
Police have not reported that they have recovered a weapon.
“That’s the danger of social media: sometimes it can really work, and sometimes, sadly, it can cause a lot of anxiety,” said Ari Rand, a concerned stepfather.
The school lifted the lockdown at around 2 p.m.
Students rushed out of the building, as their parents ran to meet them.
Parents said the scare warrants a deeper conversation about school safety.
“I think every school, unfortunately, now has to have metal detectors, you know?” said Cifuentes. “It shouldn’t have to be like that, but kids need to be safe in school.”
The credibility of the threat is now being investigated.
The social media post, as well as the Instagram account it was posted on, has since been deleted.
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