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Lockout Lifted At Columbine, 'Threat Not Credible'

Columbine
Columbine High School (credit: CBS)

LITTLETON, Colo. (AP/CBS4) – Columbine High School, the scene of a school shooting that left 15 people dead in 1999, was on a high security alert and lockout after receiving a series of threatening phone calls, law enforcement said Thursday.

The school received the first phone call at 10 a.m. Thursday and then others came "over the next 2-3 minutes," said Jacki Kelley, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

The school was placed on lockout, which prevents people from entering or leaving but allows them to freely circulate inside. The alert also applied to a half-dozen other schools in the area and was issued shortly before noon.

The lockout was lifted just after 2 p.m. and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said the threats didn't appear to be credible or local in origin, however they are continuing to investigate.

Kelley said the department had sent "additional resources" to protect the school and was investigating the threats. She would not detail the threats.

In 1999, two students opened fire at Columbine High School in Littleton, killing 12 classmates and a teacher and wounding 26 others before killing themselves in the school's library.

The following schools were also on lockout, which has since been lifted:

  • Blue Heron Elementary School
  • Columbine Hills Elementary
  • Dutch Creek Elementary
  • Governor's Ranch Elementary
  • Leawood Elementary
  • Normandy Elementary
  • Ken Caryl Middle School

 

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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