CEDAR CITY, Utah — Two schools in southern Utah were placed under lockdown and a teenager was arrested Tuesday after he brought a gun and later assaulted a student outside the high school.
The Cedar City Police Department said the juvenile male suspect arrived at the parking lot of Canyon View High School around 12:20 p.m. Monday. They said the boy pulled out a gun, pointed it at four students, then left the area. Nobody was injured in this incident.
Then around 1:30 p.m. that same day, police say the boy went back and "physically assaulted" a student (who was not one of the previous four). Details were not given about the nature of the assault nor how serious the victim's injuries were.
Police learned that the suspect was once a student at Canyon View, but he is no longer enrolled there or at any other school in the Iron County School District. His motive nor his relationship with any of the victims was not known.
Police obtained a search warrant and went to arrest the teen at his home. They said he lived on a street near both Canyon View High and Fiddler's Elementary, so both schools were placed on lockdown Tuesday.
The boy was arrested around 1 p.m. Tuesday, and the lockdowns were then lifted. CCPD said they had the help of the Iron County Sheriff’s Office, Utah Highway Patrol and the Iron Metro SWAT Team. Police said they also found evidence of the teen's alleged crimes in the home.
The suspect was booked into juvenile detention. His name is not being released because he is a minor. His exact age was also not stated.
Several parents left comments on the police department's Facebook post expressing frustration that school was still held on Tuesday despite both incidents happening the day before.
FOX 13 News reached out to the district for comment and received the following statement:
"The altercations did not come to the school’s attention until the end of the school day on Monday when students reported them to the School Resource Officer. A police investigation began at that time. Through subsequent interviews, the timeline and report of a weapon came to light mid-day Tuesday. Under a precautionary measure, the school had an additional police presence on the campus on Tuesday. Once the law enforcement agencies working on the situation had the information and were able to obtain a warrant. Nearby schools were placed in a level 1 lockdown while the police took a male juvenile into custody. A level 1 lockdown means all outside doors of the school are locked and school continues inside. Every action taken by the school was in collaboration with local law enforcement. District administrators appreciate the relationship we have with our law enforcement community and the work that school resource officers do every day in keeping students safe."
