The Brownwood Police Department issued the following press release Thursday afternoon regarding the Thursday morning lockdown of Brownwood High School:

On Thursday, September 26, 2024, at approximately 9:25 a.m., Brownwood Communications received a call from a male who reported that a student has made threats to shoot other students as they exited the campus this morning during a planned evacuation drill. Additional information received was that the suspect was currently loading his firearms while inside the school.

Officers with the Brownwood Police Department who were already in the area monitoring the evacuation drill, worked with school staff to return students to their respective classrooms. The school was placed on lockdown at this time.

Brownwood Police Officers and School Administrators then met inside the school building and conducted a thorough and systematic check of all open and unsecure areas within the campus.  School teachers and other staff members remained on lockdown until the ‘all clear’ was given.

The school safety and security plan developed by the Brownwood Independent School District, worked as planned.  All staff members performed as expected, all students were safe and performed admirably, and all measures of security were taken as best as possible.

All of the rumors of ‘shots fired’ and ‘arrests made’ are false.  A short video circulating of a student being arrested is also false.  This student suffers from autism and anxiety and was being consoled by officers.

4 P.M. UPDATE FROM THE BROWNWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT

For better transparency and to detail the way the threat was initially received:

The initial caller to the Brownwood Communications Center was the third person to receive the information. He was called by a family member who was likewise called by a family member at the school who ‘heard’. He then phoned us.

A short time later, the Brownwood Communications Center received a phone call from a Veterans Hotline. This group informed us that they were receiving the threats to our campus via text messages. This particular information was provided to the Brownwood Independent School District who then posted that information.

The bottom line is, both methods of delivery to our Communications Center were taken seriously and acted upon. The Brownwood Police Department is still gathering information regardless of how it was received and working the investigation.

Neither the Brownwood Police Department nor the School District can control all of the rumors, gossip or guesses. Other versions or opinions will surely surface as the days go by.