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The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

With Armed Suspect At Large, WJ Goes Into Lockdown

With Armed Suspect At Large, WJ Goes Into Lockdown

At 7:17 am on Tuesday Sept. 7, shots were fired at the Avalon at Rock Spring Apartment Complex near WJ and Tilden Middle School. With the shooter at large, both WJ and Tilden were put into Code Blue/Shelter-in-Place lockdowns.

“We actually heard about [the shooter] from a student who lived in the building,” said Principal Christopher Garran. “Her mom had contacted her and told her that it happened. We contacted the police immediately to confirm that it was true, and then asked them if they had the person. They felt that the person was at large and was a risk in this close community.”

Joshua Prince, a 32 year-old resident of Bethesda , allegedly fired at his ex-girlfriend with a high-powered rifle. The woman, who was walking to her car in the apartment’s parking garage when Prince allegedly fired at her, was not injured. Prince fled the scene in a black Chevy Tahoe.

“[Knowing an armed suspect is in the area] is all you need to hear to say, ‘Okay, we’ve got to lock down the doors,’” said Garran.

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WJ was put in a special type of Code Blue, called “Shelter-in-Place,” which is similar to the measures schools took during the Sniper shootings in 2002. The goal of such a policy is to control access in and out of the school building. This is different from a regular Code Blue, during which students must stay inside their classrooms.

According to Garran, a regular Code Blue would be put in place, for example, in a medical emergency within the school. Garran explained that if a student required an ambulance or a stretcher around the time that students would change classes, he would announce a Code Blue to maintain the safety of the student in need. A “Shelter-in Place” Code Blue, though, means that security is placed at all the doors, and no one is allowed to enter or exit the building without permission.

“The difficultly in a school of our size is that if you let students start passing [to their next class], then people drift away,” said Garran. “They drift to the parking lot, or they drift to Giant.”

Garran did not want students to leave their classrooms until he received clearance from the police and SWAT team that had gone through WJ’s interior and exterior. The shooter was considered armed and dangerous until the police knew he had left the area and was headed toward Pennsylvania.

“My sense of it was that we were completely secure in regard to our doors,” said Garran. “I didn’t feel that we would have that drifting away, so we had people pass to fourth [period].”

At 10:13 a.m., Garran announced on the PA system that he had received an “all clear” from the police to lift the Code Blue/Shelter-in-Place. Although Prince was still not in police custody, hours later, he surrendered to Pennsylvania State Police. According to a WTOP.com article, the Pennsylvania State Police were bringing Prince back to Montgomery County, where he will face numerous charges.

Before the Code Blue was lifted, Garran’s constant communication with staff and students over the PA system helped reduce fear and anxiety throughout the building. Special education teachers such as Sarah Bieber and  Christine McArdle were not concerned about the students in their department, because Garran was so open and honest about what was happening.

“Dr. Garan’s calm, not-robotic delivery, and giving us constant updates was very helpful, and alleviated some of the concern,” said Bieber. “We were never in the dark.”

McArdle believed the entire student population behaved in a mature way. Both Garren and McArdle commented that they were impressed with the student response to the Code Blue.

“Our students do an excellent job when it comes to that type of thing,” said Garran. “They’re patient, they’re flexible. Staff does a nice job. I just hope we don’t have to do another one.”

For more information on the shooting, check out The Washington Post’s article.

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