CARROLLTON — School was going on as usual at Carroll Academy today after a man with a gun was spotted on campus Tuesday morning.
Sheriff Jerry Carver, who was out of town at a medical appointment when the incident occurred, said he was incorrect when he said Tuesday that the man was not on campus.
“He was in the driveway near the elementary building,” Carver said.
Carver said the teacher who saw the man is not from Carrollton, wouldn’t know a lot of local people and did not recognize the man she spotted through the window of the elementary school teacher’s lounge.
The teacher told authorities that the man had a gun in his right hand, pointed downward. The school went into an automatic lockdown and called the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department, which searched for the man.
The department kept deputies at the school all day Tuesday and was to do so again today, Carver said. Deputies will also patrol the school Friday evening during a scheduled program, he said.
The sheriff’s department brought in a person of interest Tuesday, but that person had an alibi, Carver said.
“We’re checking out that information today,” he said.
The teacher could not identify the man as the one she had seen, Carver said.
Anyone with a tip may call Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
“We’re trying to come up with leads and talk to people. We hope Crimestoppers is going to help us. If anyone knows anything, they can collect a reward,” Carver said.
CA Principal Jeff Jones said today that school attendance was normal.
“We are taking all precautions. The staff is doing a good job. We will keep students inside as much as possible,” Jones said.
“No one will go out without an escort, and students will be kept inside during recess until the situation is resolved,” he said.
