(CAÑON CITY, Colo.) — The Cañon City Police Department (CCPD) has released more information on the threat made to Cañon City High School on Wednesday morning, and apologized for possible confusion caused during the initial response to the threat.

According to CCPD, at around 8:45 a.m., officers responded to Cañon City High School on a report of a man who claimed to be in possession of a rifle and pipe bombs and who claimed to be going into the school. CCPD said the caller did not identify themselves and immediately hung up.

School Resource Officers (SRO) were already on scene at the high school when the call was received, and were supplemented by patrol officers within a minute of the call being received, CCPD said. The school was immediately placed on lockdown status based on the information that officers were dispatched.

CCPD said the SROs, along with personnel from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Cañon City Fire Department, AMR and the Office of Emergency Management, all responded to the threat.

After they arrived on scene, officers learned of similar threats that occurred in other jurisdictions within Colorado. CCPD said responding law enforcement discovered that, based on the reports of similar threats and the lack of evidence presented to officers on scene, the threat was likely a false report.

However, in an abundance of caution, CCPD said the school was searched by law enforcement for any threats. Finding none, the lockdown status was lifted and students were released.

“While we understand where concerns exist for parents and families of students, the response by
your police department was necessary given the state of the world in which we live,” said CCPD in a press release. “Our officers are ready, willing, and able to put themselves directly in danger to protect our kids and we are proud of the heroism that was displayed today in the initial moments of this call.”

CCPD also explained the lockdown procedure, and apologized for confusion that may have been caused by initial reports.

“In the rush of letting the public know about the situation, an initial social media post was put out on Facebook that informed the public that the school was placed in lockdown due to a bomb threat. This language was confusing and not fully accurate. This call was classified as an active threat to students, staff and faculty, and based on the information provided, the act of locking down was the best option, given the circumstances. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused,” said CCPD.