Four students are in custody and one person was injured after a firearm was recovered at Balboa High School Thursday afternoon, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
According to police, a report came in at 11:15 a.m. regarding a possible gunshot fired in a classroom at Balboa High School located at 1000 1000 Cayuga Avenue.
Balboa High School was placed on lockdown and as a precautionary measure James Denman Middle School, Leadership High School, and San Miguel Early Education School were also placed on lockdown.
After a thorough search, officers recovered a firearm and spent bullet casing. Four Balboa High School students were detained and one of them is under investigation for the firearm discharge, authorities say.
The other three students are being investigated as accessories.
One student suffered minor injuries unrelated to the firearm discharge and was evaluated and released to parents at the scene.
Students told KRON4 they though fireworks went off. Police assisted in evacuating students to the football field.
Here is a statement from San Francisco police:
On Thursday, August 30, 2018 at approximately 11:15 AM, San Francisco Police responded to Balboa High School regarding a possible gunshot fired in a classroom. The San Francisco Unified School District placed Balboa High School on lockdown and lockout. In an abundance of caution, Leadership High School, Denman Middle School, and San Miguel Early Education School were also placed on lockdown and lockout.
A methodical search of the campus was conducted, resulting in four Balboa High School students being taken into custody. A firearm and spent bullet casing were also recovered. At this time, one student is under investigation for the firearm discharge, with the three other students being investigated as possible accessories after the fact.
One student sustained non-life threatening injuries unrelated to the firearm discharge and was evaluated and released to parents at the scene. No other students were injured in this incident.
The San Francisco Police Department works closely with the San Francisco Unified School District, the San Francisco Fire Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to coordinate responses for these types of incidents. This is an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.
Here is a statement from the school district:
On Thursday, August 30, 2018, at approximately 11:15 a.m., Balboa High School contacted San Francisco Police regarding a possible gunshot fired in a classroom. Balboa High School immediately went on lockdown and kept all students in classrooms behind locked doors and out of sight. Out of an abundance of caution, Leadership High School, Denman Middle School and San Miguel Early Education School were also placed on lockdown.
Parents of students at the schools that were placed on lockdown were notified and updated about the incident. One student suffered non-life threatening injuries unrelated to the firearm discharge. After police searched the campus and all suspects were in custody, the lockdown was lifted at all four schools, and Balboa students were released for the remainder of the day.
Classes will resume as scheduled at Balboa on Friday. There will be classroom discussions and extra counseling staff available at the school’s teen health center on Friday to support students.
The safety of students is our highest priority, and schools have security measures to ensure the well-being of students and staff. All schools have emergency response teams and are asked to practice safety protocol drills. Balboa conducted safety protocol drills every month of the 2017-18 school year.