Watkins Mill High School lockdown lifted; report of firearm unfounded

Police posted the update at 11:49 a.m. on social media

January 24, 2024 4:30 p.m.

This story, originally published at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 24, 2024, was updated at 11:55 a.m. to add that the school’s lockdown was lifted.

At 11:49 a.m., Montgomery County Police said the lockdown at Watkins Mill High School in Gaithersburg had been lifted and the report of a firearm was “determined to be unfounded.”

At 11:06 a.m., police said that the school was placed on lockdown because of a report of a “person believed to have a firearm.” Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) spokesperson Chris Cram told MoCo360 that “we were made aware of a threat of weapon and the school went into lockdown.”

At 11:37 a.m., police said on X, formerly Twitter, that the school remained on lockdown as police determined whether the threat was valid.

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In November, the school was in a shelter-in-place for a nearby shooting in Montgomery Village.

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