Weapon Allegation at Bhs9 Leads to Lockdown and Investigation

Weapon Allegation at Bhs9 Leads to Lockdown and Investigation

At around 9:20 a.m. today the Belton Police Department responded to an anonymous 9-1-1 call where the caller claimed that there was a person with a handgun at the Belton High School 9th Grade Center. The Belton PD communicated with Belton ISD and initiated hard lockdowns at Belton High School and Bhs9, and a soft lockdown at Sparta Elementary because of its proximity to these schools.

The hard lockdowns were ordered to help facilitate an orderly search of the buildings to verify that an immediate threat was not present and to keep students safe if there was a threat. Following the search, all lockdowns were lifted at 11:59 a.m. No weapon was found.

The investigation is still under way, and no arrest has been made yet.

“We were making sure the students at these schools were safe today,” Belton Police Chief Gene Ellis said about the lockdowns and search of each campus. “We’ll always err on the side of caution and safety.”

Chief Ellis added that the teachers and students were very cooperative as police inspected each classroom. “You could tell they practice the drills,” he said.

We appreciate the understanding and assistance of Dr. Susan Kincannon and her administrative staff at Belton ISD, as well as the staff at each school. Their commitment to safety and security was on display today, and we appreciate partnering with them in that effort.