PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Three juveniles were detained after a video posted to social media prompted a lockdown at Clackamas High School on Friday.
On Friday morning, the school’s resource officer learned a video was posted to Snapchat, which appeared to show a student waving a firearm in a restroom at the school. Within minutes, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.
CCSO says they worked with school officials to find two students allegedly in the Snapchat video, who were then detained — however, the school was put on lockdown once deputies learned of a third student believed to be involved.
Authorities located the third juvenile and took them into custody. Deputies say they recovered a “realistic-looking CO2-powered replica pistol” during the investigation.
The school’s lockdown was lifted before 12:30 p.m. and officials announced there was no active threat.
In a tweet, North Clackamas Schools confirmed all students and staff were safe, and later released a letter to families with students at the high school:
Dear CHS families,
Late this morning a student reported to a staff member at CHS that they had seen a social media post which showed an unknown student holding what appeared to be a firearm in a school restroom. Administrators contacted police, worked to assess the situation and initiated emergency protocols, which included placing the school in lockdown due to the possible threat within the building. Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office responded and took three students into custody without incident.
Law enforcement recovered and identified the weapon as a realistic looking C02-powered replica pistol.
We want to thank the student who reported this to a staff member and allowed us to quickly respond and ensure students’ safety.
When a school is in lockdown, law enforcement and school staff are completely focused on keeping students safe, so they are unable to respond to parents. Even following the lockdown, school staff are focused on supporting students, so we appreciate your patience and understanding while we follow our safety protocols.
Due to the proximity, Rock Creek Middle School was placed in a “secure” protocol, meaning outside doors were locked and classes inside proceeded as normal. No other schools were directly affected by the situation.
The safety of students and staff is our top priority, and we are also committed to keeping families informed in a timely manner during emergency situations. Staff worked this afternoon to help students debrief this event and are providing counseling support as needed. For more information on the district’s safety protocols, please visit our website.
Thanks to the cooperation between the CHS administration and law enforcement, today’s event ended without incident, all students and staff members are safe, and outside activities have resumed.
Thank you,
North Clackamas Schools
One father who has two students at Clackamas High School spoke with KOIN 6 News’ Jenny Young after the lockdown was lifted on Friday.
“I’ve never had this in real life, I’ve heard about all these stories but never actually think this will happen to my kids or in the same district…,” the parent said. “It was a big eye opener and it scared the s*** out of me.”
CCSO is still looking for additional information as they continue the investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the CCSO tip line at 503-723-4949 or by using the online email form. Please reference case #22-020974.