3/6 Lockdown

On Thursday, 3/6, at 2:17 pm, all activity halted at school as a lockdown began. Students, faculty, and staff entered into a lockdown, disrupting their third periods. After being in “hold” status, which requires students to stay in their classrooms and continue normal activities with doors locked, the campus was put on lockdown due to an anonymous tip. 

Durham County sheriffs were informed that a student on campus was possibly in possession of a gun. Officials had already been searching on Jordan’s campus for a juvenile who was reported missing. 

Deputies found a juvenile at a park adjacent to the school (likely Garrett Road Park) in possession of a gun. The student was with three others, but the sheriff’s office has not confirmed if the juvenile was a student at Jordan. The missing juvenile was also located and turned over to Orange County police. The two incidents are said to be unconnected. The incident with the gun remains under investigation. 

The lockdown was lifted at 2:49 pm. For many students and staff, it was a reminder of the fear that any day at school can hold. Quietly crouched in corners, literally and figuratively left in the dark, students and staff sat wondering what dangers they were facing. 

North Carolina law allows for guns to be purchased without background checks or permits, which makes it easier for guns to wind up in the hands of anyone who wants them. Thankfully, anonymous tips like this one allow for Jordan admin and authorities to be notified of potential threats to the safety of the Jordan community. 

Sources

1) "Student found with gun during unrelated search for missing child at Durham's Jordan High School," ABC 11

2) "Juvenile found with gun near Durham high school, deputies say," CBS 17

3) "Gun Laws in North Carolina," Everytown Research