Authorities were investigating what appears to be a "credible threat" at Columbine High School and almost 20 other schools, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in Colorado said Tuesday.
Gov. Jared Polis says the threat that prompted a lockdown at Columbine High School and other Denver-area schools involved someone who was armed and "may be interested in harming our schools or our kids".
Columbine High School and roughly 14 other schools in the Denver, Colorado area were put on lockdown Tuesday after police received credible reports of violence, The Hill reported. "We want our schools to be a safe place for kids to learn". Two threats were made to the school: One call said there was a bomb inside the building, and another said there was a person with a gun outside. "She is armed and considered risky", said Mike Taplin with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, CBS Denver reported.
Authorities issued a security warning to schools throughout the Denver area late on Tuesday.
The sheriff's office spokesperson, Deputy Mike Taplin, said the anniversary of the Columbine mass shooting was not a "direct" factor in the security alert.
Police are searching for an armed and risky 18-year-old woman who is "infatuated with Columbine", referring to the school massacre 20 years ago.
Pais is thought to be obsessed with Columbine and recently flew to Colorado in a trip apparently timed to what Safe2Tell founder Susan Payne referred to in a post we published this morning as a "day of remembrance" for the April 20, 1999, attack, which killed twelve students and a teacher.
The 20-year anniversary of the shooting is on Saturday. The school also continues to receive threats, especially following prominent mass shootings.
They include the Douglas County School District, Aurora Public Schools, Jefferson County Public Schools and Cherry Creek Schools.