Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School transitioned into a shelter-in-place Wednesday afternoon following a lockdown due to reports of shots fired nearby on the 4700 block of Chase Avenue, according to Montgomery County police.
Police said in a social media post Wednesday that officers were on the scene. No injuries were reported and no one was in custody. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High at 4301 East West Highway is less than 1 mile away from the 4700 block of Chase Avenue.
According to police radio transmissions, a caller reported around 10 a.m. that a group of roughly 20 kids were fighting on the street in front of Chase Avenue Urban Park before they heard one gunshot, after which the group scattered.
A video shared with Bethesda Today that purportedly shows the incident and seems to match the radio transmission description shows two male teenagers fighting one another while other male teenagers watch. Other members of the group join the fight and begin yelling and hitting one another. As the group continues to fight, the teens move into the street. At one point during the fight, one person can be heard yelling to others to back up and another can be heard saying “it’s loaded.” A gunshot is heard, but isn’t seen on the video, and the group scatters.
According to radio transmissions, an officer reported around 10:10 a.m. that community members informed the high school of the incident and that the school was monitoring its security cameras for suspicious activity. At about 10:20 a.m., the officer reported school administrators were reviewing footage of the incident to see if any B-CC students were involved.
Two shell casings were found at the scene, according to radio transmissions.
According to radio transmissions, the school entered lockdown around 10:55 a.m. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High community members were informed of the lockdown around 11 a.m., according to text messages shared with Bethesda Today. At around 1:35 p.m., police said on social media that the school was transitioning to a shelter-in-place. Dismissal will be at a normal time, according to text messages shared with Bethesda Today, but all after-school activities are canceled.
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, a private school for kindergarteners through eighth graders located at 7500 Pearl Street in Bethesda, was also on lockdown, according to Principal David Long. Long said anytime Bethesda-Chevy Chase High enters a lockdown, the private school follows suit out of an abundance of caution.
Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville was also placed on lockdown Wednesday briefly at 12:45 p.m., due to the report of a weapon on campus, according to Montgomery County police. Police said on social media that they were confirming the validity of the report. The report was unfounded and the lockdown for Paint Branch was lifted at approximately 12:55 p.m.
This story is developing and will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
