Some Kingwood HS students hid, others ran from campus during lockdown scare and confusion

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Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Kingwood HS lockdown lifted after no weapons found on campus
No weapons were found after police responded to a suspected threat at Kingwood High School Monday morning, according to the school officials.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Police found no weapons when they responded to a suspected threat at Kingwood High School on Monday morning, according to school officials.

The school went into lockdown after reports circulated of a student on campus with a possible weapon. Houston police said they detained someone. The district also told ABC13 the student faces no criminal charges, but discipline is up to the administration.

Kingwood High School lifted the lockdown at 11:20 a.m., and classes resumed as normal.

Officials said a parent called the school and 911 at 10:15 a.m. to report that her child was being threatened with a weapon.

The school went into lockdown so that authorities could conduct their investigation.

Authorities discovered that two students got into a disagreement during class, and one threatened to kill the other.

The student who was threatened reported the statement to a parent, and the student who made the threat was located and detained, according to school officials.

SkyEye captured video of several law enforcement vehicles on the school's campus and what appeared to be parents driving in to pick up students.

In a statement, Kingwood High School officials said they were aware of a video on social media of a police officer carrying a weapon. They clarified that the gun belonged to a Houston police officer involved in the search and was not a weapon confiscated on campus.

Still, parents had their concerns. Maria Banos Jordan shared with ABC13 the text messages she exchanged with her daughter Juliana in a family group chat as the teen and her classmates hid during the lockdown.

"Luckily, there's this storage closet on the side of the room that we all squished into," Juliana said. "It was very hot, and everyone was trying to keep quiet. Everyone was freaking out."

She was among the more than 2,700 students at Kingwood High who hid or evacuated during the confusion after a parent called 911 and told authorities another student threatened to kill her child.

The Houston Police Department responded immediately, as did Humble ISD police and a nearby U.S. Customs officer. District police told ABC13 there were 10 to 15 responding officers.

"It gave us an opportunity to practice what we all have trained," Humble ISD Police Assistant Chief Erica Journet said. "We regret that this rumor frightened our parents, but we're glad there was not an actual threat."

Sophomore Noah Lugo's mother came and got him from campus. He didn't hide. Instead, he was already outside when the alert came along with the confusion.

"We just started moving farther and farther away from the school," Noah said. "Eventually, it escalated, and we started walking to (a nearby) H-E-B."

Juliana Jordan, a senior, said she'll be back at school Tuesday morning.

"I know the campus will set more security measures tomorrow," Juliana said. "So, I'm not afraid or anything, but I'm still maybe a little paranoid."

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