'Possible Shots Fired' Scare Prompts Banning Schools Lockdown Friday

BANNING, CA- Several Banning schools were briefly locked down Friday afternoon, when several loud noises resembling gun shots rang out.

Banning Unified School District Superintendent Robert Guillen tells Patch that at around 1:40 p.m., the noises were heard.

“There was an activity going on at Nicolet [Middle School] on the football field and students and staff heard shots from the north,” Guillen said, adding that school workers immediately rushed all the students into nearby classrooms.

He says that there were a couple hundred students out on the field at the time. Nearby schools including Banning High, Central Elementary and Hoffer Elementary were also placed on lockdown, as a precaution.

“We’re going to be really caution with our kids,” Guillen said. “You just never know...”

From there, police began searching the area, but say they did not find any evidence that a shooting actually took place.

“There was no shooting, someone thought they heard gunshots in the vicinity of Nicolet,” Banning Police Chief Alex Diaz told Patch. “For safety of staff and students, Nicolet was placed on lockdown until officers verified that no shooting took place.”

Students were kept on site past the end of class, until they got the all-clear by 2:15 p.m., according to Guillen.