A few minutes before dismissal, the announcement came over the loudspeaker: Code Red.
One sophomore was in math class at Hillhouse High School, preparing to go home. “My teacher told everybody to go in the back of the class and she closed the blinds.”
The incident happened around 2 p.m. Thursday. People reported hearing gunshots behind the school on Carmel Street. Students spent around 10 to 15 minutes in lockdown, but no one was injured and no foul play took place at the school itself.
According to Lt. Marty Tchakarides, a beat cop originally reported shots a few blocks from the school. But witnesses reported hearing the shots just a block away in the rear. “Just as a precaution,” Tchakarides said officials decided to go into lockdown mode. “It was so close to dismissal they didn’t want to let the kids out.”
Schools spokeswoman Michelle Wade said that school resources officers, police officers who are stationed at the school, were sent out to investigate the grounds during the lockdown. They reported that “everything was clear,” so the kids were dismissed soon after.
Students interviewed at the school Thursday said they don’t remember lockdowns in previous years. One girl reported hearing “like seven shots.”
Tchakarides said as of 3 p.m., police had yet to locate any physical evidence or any suspects.
Just another day in the City of New Haven, Good Luck Chief.