Dexter schools locked down again after child sees "shiny object" thought to be a gun
Dexter Community Schools went into lockdown Thursday after a child reported he saw two teenagers with backpacks carrying something resembling a gun.
“It (turned out) to be an unsubstantiated complaint,” said Sgt. Geoffrey Fox of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office. “A couple of kids thought they saw another couple of kids with a ‘shiny object.’”
The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office has investigated reports of guns or gunshots at Dexter Community Schools four times in a little over a month.
AnnArbor.com file photo
“After an investigation, the two teens with backpacks were seen walking near the schools and were stopped and questioned,” Marshall said. “(They) did not have a weapon.”
The child who reported seeing the teens later said he actually was quite a distance from them, “so a positive identification of a reported weapon could not be confirmed,” Marshall said in an email sent to the community about 3 p.m.
This is the fourth time since the middle of April that Dexter schools have taken the precaution of keeping children indoors, with no one allowed to enter or exit the buildings.
Two of the previous times, gunshots were reported having been heard near the schools. The third time, on May 4, was “a science project that went boom,” said Derrick Jackson, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
In the other incidents, sheriff's deputies found a secluded area near the district's transportation complex was being used for target practice.
Marshall said students and staff probably are heightened to gunshots and guns right now.
"Students hear all of this stuff on the news and are trying to find a way to understand what is taking place," she said. "We teach them to report when they are concerned and obviously, this student today did not feel safe based on what he saw, so he reported it."
She said Dexter will always err on the side of caution until such reports can be investigated.
Staff reporter Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.
Comments
Ricebrnr
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 5:18 p.m.
Spree killers love lock downs. Just look it up. What better scenario for a spree killer than a building full of disarmed victims with no way out and no way for help to get in? Every incident ends in very limited ways. The killers run out of bullets, victims or time and kill themselves at the first legitimate sign of resistance. Lessen the time to resistance and lessen the carnage. Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it...
RuralMom
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 3:38 p.m.
Are you all forgetting that Chelsea, Dexter's neighboring district, had their own shooting by a teacher in 1993? Why keep referencing Columbine, why not stick to what has previously occurred right in our own backyards? Better to be very safe, then very sorry, but then some of you will then ask WHY the warnings weren't heeded sufficiently. I found a link to the Chelsea story, however its not local, but should still send a sufficient refresher for those of you who think this is over the top. "http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/17/us/police-arrest-a-teacher-in-school-shootings.html"
Ricebrnr
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 12:52 p.m.
While I agree with most of the above. I have to vehemently disagree with the "something we can never protect ourselves from." We can easily prevent or mitigate such occurrences by allowing certified good guys (CPL holders) including teachers, other support staff, parents, volunteers etc etc into the schools. All spree shooters to date, have killed with impunity until the first sign or armed resistance. Lessen the time to that and lessen the carnage. Simple solution with historical precedents for working. But too many prefer to "feel" safer than BE safer.
hail2thevict0r
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 7:24 p.m.
And how does it keep some of the children safe? Do you think this supposed gunman doesn't know how to break a window in a school building? Shoot the lock of a door? Even in your own link you failed to realize that the shooting happened inside of the school. They found the suspect, after he had shot up the administration, sitting inside of a classroom. So what, exactly, would locking down the school have done in that situation other than make it easier for a shooter to find 30 innocent kids huddled in 1 space? I'm not sure why you think taking a bunch of kids and hording them into classrooms makes them any safer at all. The teachers aren't armed and are just as vulnerable to a shooter as the kids; inside or out of a building. In this current situation the kids were outside when they saw someone walking with something "shiny". If the suspect really had a gun and intended to shoot up the school, they would have been shot at well before they could lockdown the kids inside of the building. All a lockdown is, is an irrational response to make people feel better about something we can never protect ourselves from. Like I said, it's like hiding under a desk in case of a nuclear bomb explosion.
RuralMom
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 6:01 p.m.
A lock down keeps some of the children SAFE, would it protect them ALL, no. However my point was and still is, that all these people are referencing an event that happened out west, instead of what has already happened right HERE.
hail2thevict0r
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 4:05 p.m.
And what do you think a "lockdown" would have done to prevent the incident in your link? You're dealing with a teacher who had keys to most doors in the building, coming back and randomly shooting some school the administration. It would have done nothing. While terrible, incidents like this are almost impossible to prevent. If someone really wants to do something like that, they're going to do it and there's little you can do to even try and minimize the damage.
Molly Jean
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 2:50 p.m.
I can't believe all the comments on here about "blowing this out of proportion". People seem to have this belief that we are safe here and a school shooting could never happen in this community. It can happen anywhere! This student obviously didn't feel safe, so they reported it to the police. I would much rather see that happen, then the police coming after the fact, if it really was a weapon.
hail2thevict0r
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 3:29 p.m.
The sad truth is that if some disturbed kid does want to go on a shooting rampage and has access to guns - a school lockdown isn't going to prevent that. A lockdown is no more helpful against preventing a columbine type event than hiding under your desk in the 60's would be at protecting you against a nuclear bomb. Let's just put it this way - if the kid in this story had seen someone actually carrying a gun, and not a "shiny object", the child was obviously out in the open unprotected against any kind of incident. If the incident had happened the lockdown would have been too late anyway. It's not necessarily a bad thing to have as an option but to lock down 4 schools over a school kid seeing a shiny object is not only a disruption to classes but an over reaction causing an unnecessary fear of everything.
justcurious
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 12:59 p.m.
I agree with the previous posters. Someone in the district is making bad decisions. They are going overboard in the name of safety. Reminds me of the parents that have their kids constantly use alcohol wipes to avoid illness. Get a grip!
alex
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 12:14 p.m.
I wish in high school i knew that all i had to do was say i thought there was a gun somewhere... would have gotten a good few days off!
Silly Sally
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 11:46 a.m.
Oh, so silly, and the kids are loving it. I'm glad that I'm not a high school kid or younger. Or, perhaps I wish I were. This could be great fun. I see a "shiny object" from a distance and all heck breaks loose. A peaceful school is locked down as if it were in an inner city gang-banger land. No judgment at all, who were the kids involved, was there guns. No - shiny objects. It could have been a new CD reflecting the sunlight. Oh so silly, and the kids are all right.
MRunner73
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 11:30 a.m.
Let's just wrap these kids in a fool proof bubble. Glad I grew up in the 1960s.
murphthesurf
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 10:55 a.m.
wow! seems to me that just because some kid said that he saw something 'SHINEY' doesn't mean its a weapon! this is now the 4th time since april that the schools were locked down for nothing! why do the people in charge hit the panic button so soon? had they questioned the kid better they would have realized that he was wrong and avoided another shut down! quit operating the schools with a 'COLOMBINE' MENTALITY'
RuralMom
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 2:06 p.m.
You guys must be new to the area. We don't reference Columbine, we do however remember that a very deep and horrible event in our very own Chelsea, Dexter's neighbor. Its apparent you don't even realize this event even occurred.
alex
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 12:16 p.m.
probably because people are still so hung up over columbine..
Homeland Conspiracy
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 8:24 a.m.
Isn't "lockdown" a term used in prison
Ricebrnr
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 11:26 p.m.
Hey just wai till tomorrow. The forecast calls for t storms, so I am waiting for the National Guard to be mobilized for all the umbrel...I mean assault weapon wieldin maniacs
Rugeirn Drienborough
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 9:57 p.m.
The system needs to have an option somewhere between "business as usual" and "we are at war."
cinnabar7071
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 9:44 p.m.
Have they ever heard the story of the boy who cried woof?
hail2thevict0r
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 8:38 p.m.
At what point does this become the boy who cried wolf type situation? At some point people are going to think that a "lockdown" is just something stupid and it's going to cause complacency among the students and staff.
lumberg48108
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 8:22 p.m.
counselors were on hand to ensure students could adequetly cope with this latest situation students were told to keep their Facebook posts regarding this issue to 20 per day, until the next tragedy occurs
sandalwood
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 3:32 a.m.
Oh, that's another thing that get's to me! Somebody "farts" and they call in the counselors to try and make the kids think they (the kid's ) are upset and talk the kid's into feeling upset when the weren't upset in the first place!!! I'm glad I grew up in the 60's and 70's when we could just be kid's being kid's and having a good time doing it!!!
Ricebrnr
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 8:09 p.m.
OMG!!!! it might, possibly, maybe, could be a gun! the horror! the horror!
Ricebrnr
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 12:55 p.m.
@Mike, For the record, I don't question the judgement of the blog for "printing" the story. I question the judgement of everyone from the witnesses to those in power for blowing this out of proportion. I also question the validity of "Pistol Free" zones. I know that if there were some sort of armed security it would mitigate these responses. Who better to provide that security than the people we entrust with our student's safety everyday anyway? Nothing makes "potential" victims into survivors better than leveling the playing field.
Silly Sally
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 11:40 a.m.
OMG - Target practice in a "secluded area" Mein Gott! A empty beer bottly may be broken. This is a legal activity in the townships. Mike B must be living in Ann Arbor. Oh, so silly, and the kids are loving it.
sandalwood
Fri, May 25, 2012 : 3:26 a.m.
I think it's a story worth reporting. It shows how much the kid's have been saying and doing things to get attention. And that the so called "adults" are being idiot's and getting all paranoid over what a young person might say and the young kids are loving it so they keep making things up!!! I think it's time to lighten up on and relax!!!!
MikeB
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 9:22 p.m.
Lets see, they lock down a school, for a potential weapon sighting, and we have a couple of posters who think it isn't a story and the public should not know about it. We also know that they found a secluded site was being used for target practice and two of you think this isn't something the community should know about Hmmm
lumberg48108
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 8:24 p.m.
You said it all -- a total non-newsworthy event not worth publishing because it was really NOT news since when does almost news qualify as actual news I bought a lottery ticket - is that news or is it news when i win? not saying anyone did anything wrong, the reaction was likely a sign of the times I am simply questioning the news value of this story