Shrine High School went into lockdown on the morning of Sept. 20 following a gun scare. Royal Oak police found that the gun in question was a toy gun, and nobody was harmed.
By: Taylor Christensen | Royal Oak Review | Published September 20, 2024
ROYAL OAK — Shrine Catholic High School & Academy had a scare Friday morning when a toy gun was found on the table in the counseling office and a 911 call was made. Nobody was hurt, and police found no threat.
The Royal Oak Police Department arrived at the scene at around 7:41 a.m. Sept. 20 at Shrine High School, located at 3500 W. 13 Mile Road in Royal Oak, following the report of a gun on a table in the counseling office. The gun ultimately turned out to be fake.
“We eventually determined that the toy gun was from an extracurricular event last evening; it was not associated with any threat, but was placed in the counselor’s office,” Royal Oak Police Lt. Rich Millard said. “Morning staff found it and were unaware of the origin and contacted ROPD to respond and look into it.”
The initial 911 call at 7:41 a.m. was around the time students were arriving for school, according to Millard.
Students at the school were ordered to stay outside while the toy gun was being investigated, according to a press release from the Royal Oak Police Department posted on Facebook.
Students inside the building were told to lock down. Several students inside a classroom on the third floor at that time reportedly were told through a window from someone on the ground outside that there might be a dangerous person on the school’s campus, so they made the decision to call 911 on one of the students’ Apple watches.
“It was determined to be a toy gun, and the school drop-off progressed as normal while we were reviewing surveillance videos to try and establish how it ended up on a desk in the counselor’s office,” Millard said. “Out of an abundance of caution, we were also conducting a security sweep of the building when the young student who was unaware police were doing a security sweep called 911. That was around 8:25 a.m.”
The call prompted a larger police response, according to the release.
Millard said that the call was made by a “young student who was unaware and afraid, not realizing the police officers were already in the building.”
“The full lockdown was brief, as the 911 call was quickly determined to be a misunderstanding,” he said.
The student who made the call was recognized by the ROPD for being calm and collected while speaking on the phone with them.
Students were allowed to resume the regular school day. Principal Sarah Cerone said everyone is safe.
Millard said the investigation is now closed.