'Shots Fired' Report Creates Panic At Lakeland High School

LAKELAND, FL – The Polk County Sheriff's Office Thursday morning responded and locked down a school in Lakeland after reports of gunfire sounds, which later were suspected to be a car backfiring, officials said.

Deputies at around 7 a.m. arrived at Lake Gibson High School, 7007 Socrum Loop Road North, and checked classrooms and the school's surrounding area, however no evidence of a shooter was discovered.

"Several witnesses confirmed that a vehicle at the school backfired, which caused a panic," the department said, adding that deputies remained at the scene as things returned to normal.

"We are grateful that this incident was not what it initially seemed to be," Sheriff Grady Judd said. "But what we did see this morning, was a spectacular response, and great cooperation between law enforcement, the school faculty and students, and the Polk County School Board."

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