Report of Man With Gun Near Mountain View HS Leads to Lockdown and Subsequent Safe Status; Police search finds no one

(Update: Principal's letter to families)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A report of a man possibly carrying a handgun near the football and baseball fields at Mountain View High School led to a brief lockdown before classes began Tuesday morning and a subsequent “safe status” for about half an hour. However, no one matching the description was found, authorities said.

Bend police responded to a report of a person possibly armed with a weapon near the soccer and baseball fields, communications manager Sheila Miller said.

A caller reported around 8:25 a.m. seeing a white man in his early 20s wearing a white shirt, carrying a blue baseball bat, and possibly carrying a handgun, Miller said.

At the time of the call, a Bend Police school officer was on scene, and Bend Police were on scene along with Deschutes County Sheriff's deputies.

The school was initially on lockdown but was converted to a secure condition, with the front door the only entrance for those arriving at the start of the school day.

A BLConnect text noted that the secure protocol was invoked “for a potential outdoor security threat.” The front entrance is open to students.”

“Our protocol with which we protect people in the building is safe,” it said in a subsequent text. “Students are heading to their first class of the day.” A few minutes later there was a follow-up message: “Students and staff are safe and school is operating as usual.”

Police used drones to search the area, and officers in vehicles and on foot searched the school campus as well as the parking lot and surrounding neighborhoods, Miller said. No one matching the description has been found.

The school left safe mode shortly after 9 a.m

Miller said SROs and other police remained on scene to ensure there was no danger to students and staff. An increased police presence may continue throughout the day. BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Mountain View High School was briefly placed on lockdown and had its exterior doors locked to “secure” status Tuesday morning due to a “potential security threat outside” the building, officials said. The main entrance remained open and classes began as usual.

Scott Maben, director of communications for Bend-La Pine Schools, said the school went into a “brief lockdown” around 8:30 a.m. before classes began and then went into “safe” mode, in which “the doors are locked, but school operations are running as usual.” usually indoors. We don’t allow people to come and go.”

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Here is the letter MVHS Principal Michael Hicks sent to families:

Dear Mountain View families,

This morning we implemented safety protocols just before the start of the school day. At 8:24 a.m., Bend police advised us to place our school on lockdown due to a call about a potential threat outside the building. Lockdown is the protocol we use to secure individual rooms and keep residents calm and in place during a threat or other emergency.

A Bend Police School staff member was on scene at the time of the call, and Bend police, assisted by Deschutes County Sheriff's deputies, responded to the scene. Following the recommendation of law enforcement, we quickly switched from Lockdown to Secure.

Secure is the protocol we use to protect people inside the building when there is a potential threat outside the building. Everyone stays inside and the outside doors are locked. We were able to release the secure at 9:03 am

For details on what police responded to, see the Bend Police dispatch at the end of this story.

Although this safety event presented some challenges due to scheduling as students were still arriving for the first class of the day, I want to share with you that our staff and student body responded efficiently and appropriately, relying on the training that we hold for such events. Today I am very proud of our campus community for looking out for one another, and I shared that with our staff and students this morning. We are also telling students that if they feel like speaking to an adult about the response this morning, they are welcome to contact a teacher, administrator, or counselor for assistance.

As always, we encourage students, families and community members to feel free to report threats, potential threats or suspicious activity. If you see something, say something. SafeOregon is a reporting tool that allows anyone to report safety concerns via an iPad app, phone call or web form.

Thank you for your partnership in making Mountain View High School a safe and welcoming place for all students.

Michael Hicks, Headmaster