Parents swarm San Antonio's Jefferson High School after false report of active shooter

Altercations broke out between authorities and concerned parents, some of whom tried to enter the school and find their children.

click to enlarge After checking for evidence of gunfire and interviewing students, police were quick to determine that no shooting had occurred at Jefferson High School. - Michael Karlis
Michael Karlis
After checking for evidence of gunfire and interviewing students, police were quick to determine that no shooting had occurred at Jefferson High School.
Chaos erupted at San Antonio’s Jefferson High School Tuesday afternoon as police tried to hold back hundreds of parents who'd heard reports that shots had been fired on the campus, the Express-News reports.

The school went into lockdown around 1 p.m. after authorities responded to concerns about a possible active shooter, according to the daily.

Long waits for information prompted altercations between police and parents who showed up at the school fearing the worst, the paper also noted. One man in the crowd reportedly cut his arm while trying to break in through a window.

After the school received an all-clear around 2:30 p.m., SAISD Superintendent Jaimie Aquino told the
Express-News that the district needs to more when responding to possible active shooter situations. He cited the failed police response to the shooting at Uvalde's Robb Elementary School as a likely catalyst for the confrontations.

“I’m assuming that if we had not had Uvalde, perhaps we would not have the reaction of the parents,” Aquino told the daily. “So we just have to understand that.”

As many 29 district cops and 58 San Antonio Police Department officers swarmed the school after the call about a possible shooter. However, after checking for evidence of gunfire and interviewing students involved in an altercation, authorities determined that no shooting had occurred, the Express-News reports.
In a Twitter video posted by San Antonio-based journalist Matt Roy, several parents and family members can be seen being apprehended or restrained by officers. Authorities told the Express-News the man injured while breaking the window won't be charged.

click to enlarge The blood of the man who broke a window attempting to save his child was hosed off and the window patched up as of Tuesday evening. Authorities told the Express-News the parent won't face charges. - Michael Karlis
Michael Karlis
The blood of the man who broke a window attempting to save his child was hosed off and the window patched up as of Tuesday evening. Authorities told the Express-News the parent won't face charges.

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Michael Karlis

Michael Karlis is a Staff Writer at the San Antonio Current. He is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., whose work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Orlando Weekly, NewsBreak, 420 Magazine and Mexico Travel Today. He reports primarily on breaking news, politics...

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