Skinner Middle School Lockdown: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

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Three middle school students are in custody after they were found with guns and a smoke device inside a Denver school, say police. The lockdown at Skinner Middle has been lifted. The incident occurred on the morning of April 10.

Here’s what you need to know:


1. NBC Denver reports that police found two guns and a smoke device on three students inside the school.


2. There were no injuries as a result of the search which occurred at around 9:15 a.m. local time. The Denver Post quotes Douglas Schepman, a public schools spokesman, who said that the alarm was raised when someone reported that there was a gun on campus.


3. A heavy police presence was brought to the school. Reports on Twitter indicated that there were at least eight police cruisers outside the school, located at 3435 West 40th Avenue in Denver. The officers were clad in bullet proof vests.


4. In a press conference, police Commander Paul Pazen praised the student’s reaction to the lockdown, “The students did everything they were supposed to do.” Parents were told about how the lockdown unfolded in the school’s auditorium. One parent, Priscilla Zarate told the Denver Post “It’s scary. I think it’s very scary.” Another, Hector Martinez, said “I’m really concerned when I hear stuff like this.”


5. Skinner Middle School was in the news in 2000 when 15-year-old Lorenzo Rubin Montoya Jr was convicted of killing the school’s special education teacher, Emily Johnson. He, along with other friends, had sought to steal her Lexus to go joyriding. When they broke in, Johnson fought back, resulting in her death. The school is located 25 miles north of Columbine.