Winfield school board member Chris Carothers (left) and school board chairman James Garner (middle) stand by the fence at the elementary school during the lockdown to explain the situation to parents arriving for a school event, all while Winfield police officer Shane Dickinson (right) stands guard with his rifle.
WINFIELD — Winfield City Schools were all placed on lockdown on Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, Feb. 14, after receiving a threat over the phone.
Officers from the Winfield City Police Department, as well as the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and others responded to each school around 11:30 that morning after the threat was received.
Parents who arrived at the elementary school for a scheduled event were either left standing in the parking lot or stuck in the elementary school’s auditorium during the lockdown.
Winfield police announced the lockdown in a Facebook post, saying they believed the threat was just a prank but were still taking it seriously. Other posts were made dispelling rumors that were spreading about shots fired at the middle school and providing other information as the situation developed.
Officers from Winfield’s tactical team and other agencies were placed at each school and could be seen wearing tactical gear and holding AR-platform rifles.
See complete story in the Journal Record.
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