SHERWOOD — Sherwood Police responded to a report of a possible gunman near Sylvan Hills Middle School, prompting the facility to go on lockdown for more than two hours.
No gunman was located but police are continuing to investigate, Lt. Jamie Michaels said shortly after 12:30 p.m. The lockdown was lifted about then and roughly 60 teachers who had been ushered into the gym were allowed to return to other parts of the building.
No children were in class because Monday is a holiday in observance of George Washington’s Birthday and Daisy Gatson Bates.
Michaels said the department received a call from the school about 10 a.m. referring to radio traffic heard at the school about a possible male with a gun near the campus, but there was no confirmed sighting.
Michaels said the initial call to 911 came from a school employee who heard the witness report of a man with a gun through a school radio.
Michaels said police have not yet found the witness who relayed the first report, but she stressed officers were still responding as if it was a "valid call."
"It's still being investigated," she said. "There's still a lot of people that need to be talked to."
Sylvan Hills Middle School is at 10001 Johnson Drive in Sherwood.