The principal of Whitney Young Magnet High School is calling a lockdown on Tuesday “inexcusable and a disruption” after students reported a gunman who police say was actually involved in a training exercise at the police academy next door.
Police were called about 11:10 a.m. for a person with a gun outside the school while officers were conducting a training drill at the next door Chicago Police Academy, 1300 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago police said.
The lockdown was lifted five minutes later after two school resource officers went outside and determined the person was involved in the training exercise, Whitney Young principal Joyce Kenner said in an email sent to parents.
Three students had reported seeing a gunman outside between two campus buildings, Kenner wrote.
Kenner blasted the lockdown as “inexcusable and a disruption to our school,” and said the two school resource officers would visit with their commander to discuss the incident.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Kenner said Chicago police “were absolutely superstars with communicating” after the incident.
“It’s all been resolved,” she said. Kenner said she couldn’t recall another instance of the school having issues with the police academy.
In a statement, Chicago police said there was a “miscommunication” between the school and academy, and that the school would now be notified of all outside training in the future.
In 2017, Whitney Young students and staff went on lockdown for another false alarm of a person with a gun on campus.
A homeless man allegedly threatened to shoot up the police academy next door, and an officer told the school to go on lockdown as police searched for the suspect. The threat was determined to be unfounded.
