Report of gun prompts lockdown at 2 city schools
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia School District by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Kristen Graham.
Report of gun prompts lockdown at 2 city schools
Kristen Graham
Two city schools in Feltonville were locked down and police besieged a home in the neighborhood Thursday after four students reported a woman had pointed a weapon at them on their way to school, police said.
Using a robot, police, however, determined no one was in the house and declared an all-clear just before noon.
Police later executed a search warrant at house on the 4600 block of Ella Street but left empty handed.
According to Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan, the department’s commander of the home security, the incident began when the students arrived at the school a little before 10 a.m. and reported a woman had pointed a long arm — a rifle, or a shotgun — when they were “interacting” with a dog in the rear yard of the house.
As a precaution, officials locked down Feltonville School of Arts and Sciences, a grades 6-8 middle school, and the K-2 Barton Elementary, both on the same campus.
School police notified city police and a SWAT team, with hostage negotiators at the ready, took up position around the house.
Sullivan said police sent in a robot, which searched the house and found no one inside.
The lockdown ended around noon.
News of the incident prompted parents to go to the schools to get their children.
"I felt confused because I didn’t know what happened, said Orquida Cesar, whose 11-year-old son is in the sixth grader.
Mario Mercado picked up his sixth-grade daughter early from Feltonville School about 1:45 pm. "It's kind of difficult," he said. "At least nothing happened."
His daughter said she was "scared" and "started crying" when the school went into lockdown. She said her mother saw the lockdown news on TV and "was worried." With the mother worried, Mercado went to pick up his daughter.
"I was nervous because I didn't know what was happening," Cesar's son said. "I didn't know if it was Connecticut all over again," he said, referring to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
Cesar's son said students in his class watchec cartoons during the lockdown.
Students the school didn't tell them what triggered the lockdown.
-Kristen Graham and Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman
I was over at 'A" and Wyoming, next to 4600 Ella. The kids were in the alley behind the houses ( where they had no right to be) and the dog was a guide dog. "Interacting with the dog" my foot. They were harassing the animal. Amazing the kids didn't get shot in Feltonville.— Damsel555- @charlie, sure did. you getting jollies of a typo? wow, you are easily amused. are you smiking pit? there's some more for yuo. don't bust a gut.— black dog
- The police sent a robot into the house? "I'd buy THAT for a dollar!"— J H
- @CHARLIE - well GEE, my post was predicated on it being the truth. obviously i was talking about the cops (at least i thought it was obvious), genious. and fyi - while kids do occasionally carry a gun to school it is far from SOP. you thrive on the generalities and sterotypes, don't ya? i don't know or care what joe biden said so i cannot help you. and again with the juvenile name calling?? is your mommy home? does she see what you are typing?— black dog
- @CHARLIE - acutally i don't post to be witty and i am not the smartest peson in the world but i am certainly not the slowest. maybe YOU think that in the back of you rmind. sounds like you have some post envy there fellah. as for my first post, what is your point??? if someone were holed up with a weapon and threatening people, heck yeah take them out. that is SOP for those types of situation. and WHy would i have to move??? this is free country and i can say/think what i want. is that the stock answer for anyone who doesn't agree with you????— black dog
- @PROFESSOR that is why i will lose? lose WHAT????? lol. are you drinking your lunch. and again you are ignoring the point i made that your FIRST post was inane. i wasn't even talking about gun control and again WHAT will i LOSE?? the fact i find constant gun rhetoric boring is a bad thing???? lol. only to people like you who constantly whine and rant (you say logic, lol) about guns guns guns.frankly i have more important things to worry about in my life. i don't even care if YOU have thirty guns. buy more. i couldn't care less.— black dog
- @CHARLIE - seriously. are you 12? if you think your constant crying about guns is logic, well think again. are you even capable of posting intelligently? or are you always clowning?— black dog
- lol. i cannot believe the political rhetoric on every story. geesh. you guys really are whacked. now i know how the term gun nut was coined. it's very descripted.— black dog
- @professor....you just took a sentence out of a 600 pages article that was cited by a neo-con website. stop trying to trick people with BS— cdw1262
- This story could be renamed as: "School kids find a novel way to get a day off school." Accuse someone of pointing a gun, and the cops will close the school. Call it a "911 snow day."— DonQ
The way things are going these days.....Are they sure it wasn't just another student???
Who left the gate open at the crazy house?— TopCat#1- There should've been a good guy with a gun on campus and blew that lady away on site. Case closed, tax payer money saved and our children saved.— OohChildNoPhilly
- The NRA loves his stuff!— APhillyDump
- @payrus - and that wasn't hate. that was criticizing an inane post.— black dog
- @psyrus. well i see different. and i posted what i posted because he came out with the bashing. of course you ignore that part. and yeah, mostly you conservatives are hatemongering. but have a nice day.— black dog
Sounds to me someone was just taking the advise of Crazy Joe Biden.— TimmyDay- @PROFESSOR - look at your post again. there was no truth in it. just clowning. and now you want to bring the gun debate into it. had nothing to do with your first post. and i'm really bored with the great gun debate. and i'm not interested in the link you posted. i'm posting about what happened in the story. why don't you try it instead of the NRA rhetoric.— black dog
- That is why you will lose. B/C there's nothing "boring" about solutions that solve nothing and liberal attacks on the Bill of Rights.
— Professor1982 - "hatemongering conservative" --- ??? Seems the bulk of the insults that I encounter on these message boards/blogs are coming from leftists, liberals and/or Democrats. You even managed to prove this point in your post by slinging an insult. So I must ask, who is really hatemongering?— psyrus
- once Obama strips away all our 2nd ammendment rights things like this will go away.....remember all you thugs and convicted felons pretty soon you all will have to get background checks....and bring those assult weapon mags with ya....there gonna be no-no's too (sic).
"FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS"— doowaditty - @Yo doowad, No one is trying to take away your 2nd amendment. You sound like that dumba** prof1982. — TopCat#1
- Topcat - That's funny..that's what Adolf Hitler, Joesph Stalin and Mussolini said just before they started a registration and confiscation program. — Professor1982
- Ms. Lou, Who are "they"? Also, sometimes it's better to just "think" something instead of typing it.— tlee
- PROFESSOR - we would think there is something wrong with you for posting such a moronic post. is that all you think about?? liberal or conservative??? how sad for you. but i have to say that i would rather be a liberal than a hatemongering conservative. that's all you fanatics seem to do - hate.— black dog
- Black dog. Never knew the truth could be "moronic". Typical uneducated leftists...all bark no bite.
But enjoy this gun study from Harvard:
"Nations with stringent anti-gun laws generally have substantially higher murder rates than those that do not. The study found that the nine European nations with the lowest rates of gun ownership (5,000 or fewer guns per 100,000 population) have a combined murder rate three times higher than that of the nine nations with the highest rates of gun ownership (at least 15,000 guns per 100,000 population)."
http://theacru.org/acru/harvard_study_gun_control_is_counterproductive/— Professor1982 - @prof1982, once again you have opened your mouth only to insert another foot. The Harvard Study you so eloquently mentioned noted Norway as a nation having the highest rate of gun ownership and yet posesses the lowest murder rate. Did you stop to take a look at Norways legislation on guns? There is a total ban on assault weapons. Smith & Wesson 500 is illegal. There are restrictions on the number of weapons you can own. An owner "must" document a use for the gun. There are also special rules for collectors of guns. I'm sorry, your point was what?????? — TopCat#1
- And where are all the proposed regulation changes for the mentally ill????
Right.
Gun Grab and attack on the 2nd Amendment...nothing more...nothing less.— Professor1982 - @prof1982, Dude, really? You have the audacity to post that? According to Norway legislation, "Rifle and shotgun ownership permission can be given to "sober and responsible" persons 18 years or older. The applicant for the permission must document a need for the weapon." Numbskulls like you aren't allowed guns in Norway. — TopCat#1
- Topcat - you have nothing. That's ok though...most liberals dont.
Harvard article speaks for itself, Gun Laws Don't Work.
Live, Learn, Accept.— Professor1982 - @prof1982, Dude, you're a fool. Gun laws do work. It's proven by your initial argument, which cited Norway. Here's something else about gun legislation in Norway. "To obtain a hunting license, the applicant must complete a 30 hour, 9 session course and pass a written multiple choice exam. The course includes firearm theory, firearm training, wildlife theory, and environmental protection training. The law for storage of firearms are strict." See, you're following the narrow minded perspective that says "more guns equal more death and fewer guns equal less death". That sir, is the foundation of your argument against gun control. Know the truth by getting the facts, not the illusions.
— TopCat#1 - Top Cat. The victims of Andres Brevick would disagree with you.
Since the gun laws in Norway are strict, there was no one to stop him from killing over 70 people....kinda like Sandy Hooks foolish "Gun Free Zone" which led to 26 dead people.
But that's ok...I still haven't seen one proposed law dealing with mental health issues.
— Professor1982 - MS Lou: Easy fix? Really, how? This should be good.— Jim Wintersteen
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If they stopped spending 3 trillion taxpayer dollars on Iraq and Afghanistan maybe they could fix some of these easy-fix issues here at home.— MS. LOU.- Ms. Lou - While I think some of your posts are spot on, this one is a stretch.
Agreed we spent WAY to much money meddling in foreign affairs of others, however at home, we need to realize there is no perfect "utopia" and we cannot "fix" everything. That type of arrogance is what leads to states like the former USSR, N. Korea, Venezuela and other despotic regimes.
Life has risks and true freedom carries both risk and responsibility.
In an effort to create an unattainable "utopia" we create prisons without walls.— Professor1982 - Aren't there laws regarding pointing guns at people? What they didnt stop this person???
Oh boy...what will the liberals think?— Professor1982 - Aren't there laws against people stealing, raping, killing etc.?
Oh boy...what will the liberals think?— mindstorms - since he pointed the gun at kids i don't think he gives a damm about any laws. might be best to just put one in his head if possible and call it a day.— black dog
- He must of missed the "gun free zone" sign. Better make it bigger or add more signs.— Jim Wintersteen
- Maybe he thought the kids were going to break into his house and took Biden's advice and was about to fire 2 shots from the front porch to scare them away? — Taxpaying Voter
During the school year, you’ll frequently find her hosting live chats about the district on Philly.com. Please do pass along the scoop about what’s going on at your Philadelphia public school; Kristen welcomes tips, story ideas and witty banter at kgraham@phillynews.com or 215-854-5146.
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