Franklin Community High School was put on lockdown Monday, and multiple officers were sent to search the property after a former student threatened to harm himself.
The 19-year-old never threatened to harm students or staff, but school officials wanted to take every precaution to make sure everyone was safe, Franklin Schools Superintendent David Clendening said.
Police found the teen on the outer edge of the high school property with a shotgun. The teen never pointed the gun at officers or himself, and surrendered to officers, Franklin Police Chief Tim O’Sullivan said.
He was questioned by police and then sent to a hospital for treatment, O’Sullivan said.
About 1:30 p.m., the high school office received a message that the 19-year-old, who graduated from Franklin Community High School, was threatening to harm himself, Clendening said.
School officials made the choice to call police and put the school on lockdown, which required students to stay in their classrooms, but classes continued, he said.
Around the same time, police also got a call from the teen’s family, reporting him missing and saying they had also gotten a similar message to what the school received, O’Sullivan said.
Multiple officers, along with detectives working at the police station, were sent to the high school property to search for the teen, O’Sullivan said.
Two detectives found him on the outer edge of the high school’s property and also found he had a gun, O’Sullivan said. The teen never threatened to harm anyone but himself, he said.
The teen was not arrested, O’Sullivan said. The prosecutor will decide what, if any, charges to file.
Students and staff were not in danger at any time, Clendening said. School officials sent an automated message to parents about 3 p.m. informing them of the incident.
