Shots heard near Weed High School prompt brief shelter in place, lockdown protocol

Two Siskiyou County schools were on high alert after Weed High School students reported seeing a stranger walking on school property and later heard gun shots outside of the school.

The gun shots sounded from an off-property location but the school immediately moved to shelter in place protocol, Principal Monika Van Baren said.

Van Baren said she called the Weed Police Department to investigate.  

The news spread to Weed Elementary School about a half-mile west of the high school, causing Superintendent/principal Jon Ray to briefly lockdown the campus at approximately 3:15 p.m., he said.

Only a few minutes later, Ray said he talked to the police chief who confirmed the shots came from a person practicing target shooting a distance away from the high school.

Jared Klomparens, a sergeant at Weed Police Department, said officers responded to Van Baren’s call.

Law enforcement also arrested on suspicion of trespassing on Roseburg Forest property about 1,500 feet away from the school, an area that is in the jurisdiction of the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's Lt. Ben Whetstine said the man was booked into the Siskiyou County Jail on suspicion of trespassing and public intoxication. He posed no threat to the school, Whetstine said.

Nada Atieh is a Report For America corps member and education reporter focusing on childhood trauma and the achievement gap for the Redding Record Searchlight. Follow her on Twitter at @nadatieh_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today! And if you are able, please consider a tax-deductible gift toward her work.