SPD Recaps High School Lockdown Response
Sonora, CA — The Sonora Police Department has released a play-by-play of Thursday’s response to the sound of something like “gunshots” near Sonora High School.
Click here to view Thursday’s coverage.
The Police Department summary, released by spokesperson Thomas Brickley, can be found below:
On April 6th, 2023, at about 12:30 in the afternoon, our office received a report of what sounded like gunshots in the area of Sonora High School. School staff immediately placed the campus on lockdown. The first Officers from our agency arrived on the scene within 2 minutes of receiving the call and immediately began to clear the campus. As Members of the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office and other allied agencies arrived, the campus was secured, and a systematic search began. No active threats were located, and no additional shots were heard while law enforcement was on the scene. Out of an abundance of caution, the school remained on lockdown while law enforcement methodically searched the entire campus before rendering the “All clear.”
The school was on lockdown for nearly three and a half hours by the time the lockdown was officially lifted at about 3:50 P.M. Ultimately, no threats were identified, and there were no signs that a shooting had occurred on the campus.
We are relieved to report there were no injuries, and students were safely released at the incident’s conclusion. The origin of the sound that prompted this incident remains unknown, but we are reasonably confident that no students had been placed in harm’s way. In addition, there were no other calls about shots being fired in the area at the time of the incident.
Law enforcement command staff worked closely with Sonora High School administration throughout the incident. Sonora High School Administration, staff, and students all performed very well during the incident, providing us with the cooperation and information we needed to ensure a thorough check of the campus.
By the conclusion of the incident, off-duty and on-duty Law Enforcement Officers from Sonora Police Department, Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire Law Enforcement, California State Parks Law Enforcement, CDCR Parole, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, Sworn Officers from the District Attorney’s Office, Calfire Law Enforcement, Tuolumne County Probation, Bureau of Land Management, and Stanislaus Air Support all dispatched units to the incident to assist us in the incident, many without being requested. This is an outstanding example of the level of dedication that all agencies in our area have to our community and the safety of our schools.
This was a long and frustrating process for many, but it was necessary to ensure everyone was safe. We want to thank all of the parents and community members who did not hinder our operations and exercised much patience while we worked to keep their loved ones safe. Thank you for the level of trust that you showed in our staff and partner agencies!
