Man with assault rifle triggers 3 Kennewick school lockdowns
Three Kennewick schools were locked down Friday after numerous reports of a man walking around with an assault rifle.
Several people called 911 after seeing the man in the area of Fourth Avenue and Vancouver Street with an AR15-style assault rifle across his chest around 10 a.m. Friday, Kennewick Sgt. Aaron Clem said.
As officers searched the area, they asked for lockdowns at Highlands Middle School, Edison and Westgate elementary schools and Keewaydin Discovery Center as a precaution.
When officers found him, he told them he was returning home after going to the store, and he wanted to exercise his second amendment right to openly carry his gun. The lockdown was lifted a short time later.
He didn’t threaten anyone with the gun.
Officers did talk to him about the concerns of the parents, schools and children in the area and to keep that in mind.
“We want to thank the citizens that called in,” Clem said. “We want to remind people that if they see something that doesn’t seem right, to call in so we can investigate.”
This story was originally published February 1, 2019 at 12:44 PM.