Danville Police responded to more reports of shots fired last night only hours after some local schools were placed on lockdown. One person was wounded (see other story).
Some parents are praising the way School District 118 handled a situation earlier in the day when Superintendent Alicia Geddis placed schools on lockdown as a precautionary measure. The lockdown lasted over an hour after school officials were notified by Danville Police about a non-school related incident in which shots were apparently fired in the 500 block of Jackson Street. Police Commander Joshua Webb says officers were told a Black male fired into the air and then fled running southbound. Police searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect.
Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education, John Hart, said the lockdown was strictly a precautionary measure to ensure student safety. There was already a planned early dismissal Wednesday, but the lockdown delayed the dismissal.
Some Danville teachers were praised by parents when they climbed on board school buses to help ensure students would arrive home safely. The shots that were reportedly fired Wednesday was near District 118’s new administration building and the Jackson Building, which houses alternative classes for middle schools and some administrative offices. The location is about two blocks south of Danville High School.
[Posted April 20, 2017]
