No Active Shooter at Washington State College, All Clear Given

A lockdown following reports of gunfire at Highline College, a community college in Washington state, ended Friday after police completed a search of the campus and officials gave an all clear.

Capt. Kyle Ohashi of the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority said authorities found no evidence of a shooting,

Multiple police agencies including the FBI, ATF, and the Washington State Patrol responded to the the campus south of Seattle, the college said in Facebook posts and automated phone recordings.

“They’re looking for and trying to confirm that shots were fired,” said Washington State Patrol trooper Rick Johnson, whose agency was asked to shut down a portion of Interstate 5 near the campus while other agencies investigate the reports.

“[Police] are essentially setting up a perimeter. There is no confirmation that we know of,” Johnson told CNN.

Shortly after 10 a.m. PT, South King Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Kevin Crossen told the Seattle Times “at this time there are no known shooting victims.”

“We’re going to be here for a while, still, as the police are doing their thing, going from building to building and clearing them,” Crossen said, adding that the campus had many buildings and the process could take some time.

He also said that police were finding upset people hiding in closets and that he was sure firefighters would be helping them.

But, again, “we are unaware of any victims so far and this is good news,” he said.

The lockdown comes two days after confessed shooter Nikolas Cruz killed 17 students and adults at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Police in Renton, Washington, near the Highline campus, said they were among the agencies responding to the reports. The Renton Police Department Twitter account announced “shots fired” but has yet to confirm the news.

Highline College’s Facebook page first mentioned a lockdown and a report of shots fired shortly before 9 a.m. PT (noon ET). An hour later, a follow-up post read that the lockdown was still in effect, saying “This is not a drill.”

“Police are clearing buildings. Please remain in lockdown until police have cleared your building. Parents can re-unify with students in the Lowes parking lot of Pacific Highway,” the post reads.

An employee at Chevron along Pacific Highway across from Highline College told the Seattle Times that police and ambulances were “everywhere.”

“It’s like a war zone,” he said, adding that he had heard gunshots. He provided no more details before saying he had to go and hung up the phone.

When a call was placed to the campus by the Seattle Times, it was initially answered with a recorded message that the school was on lockdown. Eventually a person who identified herself as an operator confirmed the lockdown, said a shooting had been reported on the campus and said police were going through the college’s buildings one by one.

“I hope I’m here to answer when you call back,” the person said.

Highline is a community college in Des Moines, Washington, according to its website, a few miles south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Photo credit: Facebook / Highline College