Reports of gunmen in Memphis high school were false alarm

MEMPHIS, April 11 (UPI) -- East High School in Memphis, Tenn. was locked down Friday as police went door to door through the school after receiving reports of armed men on campus.

The school board notified local law enforcement that it “had received information that there were up to four armed parties inside the school,” Karen Rudolph, a police spokeswoman, told WMC, the local NBC affiliate.

“Upon arriving on the scene, officers were advised that the school was on lock-down and there were possibly several armed males inside of the school,” Police told WREG, Memphis' CBS affiliate, who reported that “Memphis Police say a student told a school officer another student was armed with a gun inside the school.”

But a sweep of the school was conducted and no guns or trespassers were found.

“Some kids reported a safety tip,” of gunmen on premises, The Shelby County School System told NBC, though SCS later said the school was on a “precautionary” lockdown and that the tip did not involve gunmen.

A spokesperson for SCS said of the precautionary lockdown, “We take all matters of student safety very seriously.”

[WREG] [WMC]