‘Shots fired’ report causes 2 lockdowns, lockouts at east Casper schools

CASPER (WNE) — The Natrona County School District gave an all-clear early Tuesday afternoon after four schools had been placed on precautionary lockouts or lockdowns following reports of shots fired in east Casper.

Kelly Walsh High School, Verda James Elementary School and the Woods Learning Center were placed on precautionary lockouts.

Shortly after 11 a.m., however, the district announced that Kelly Walsh had been moved to a precautionary lockdown. The Natrona County Sheriff’s Office, on Facebook, also reported Casper Christian School in Restoration Church had been placed on a precautionary lockdown.

A school representative told the Star-Tribune that its lockdown had also been lifted by early Tuesday afternoon.

“CPD confirms that there were no known injuries in this shots fired call and that the investigation is ongoing,” Casper Police Department Public Information Officer Amber Freestone told the Star-Tribune.

At 12:03 p.m., the district said schools resumed normal operations.

The Sheriff’s Office, CPD and NCSD all posted notices to their respective Facebook pages following the initial report. Each post stressed that the lockouts were a precautionary measure.

The sheriff’s office described a “heavy police presence” in the area and urged the public to “avoid the area as the investigation continues.”

Natrona County Sheriff’s Department PIO Kiera Hett said the case has been turned over to CPD. An update posted to the department’s Facebook page said that in the process of the investigation, “officers learned information about an ongoing dispute between two groups of individuals.”

No arrests had been made as of Tuesday afternoon, Freestone told the Star-Tribune.

When asked Wednesday morning if the CPD has been able to interview any of the involved parties or if authorities have identified the shooter, Freestone declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

This story was published on December 12, 2024.