Potential School Crisis Averted
Schools in Billings Heights went on lock down for about an hour this afternoon after police had reports of a student who was potentially suicidal and possibly had access to a gun. The suspect was ultimately apprehended and no one was hurt.
I've read a couple of comments saying that it seems a bit much to lock down several schools for an isolated incident. I know where you're coming from, but I don't agree. As a parent, I am happy to know that the Billings Police Department (they are the ones who ordered the lock down) aren't taking any chances with this stuff. I'm sure when they get a call like this they assume they don't know the whole story and need to err on the side of caution. The situation might be exactly as it was reported to them, or they could be facing a coordinated effort involving multiple kids, multiple schools...who knows? Good job BPD!
At this point I have no idea how this situation was identified, but I'm grateful to whomever made the call. This may never have been a real threat, or we could have been added to the list of cities where tragedy struck. I for one am glad we didn't take chances.