ATLANTA — A lockdown at Grady High School has been lifted and school was dismissed for the day as officials searched for an individual on campus Friday afternoon.
NewsChopper 2 is over the scene right now. We'll have live coverage on Channel 2 Action News at 4.
Atlanta Public Schools released the following statement regarding the threat at Grady High School:
"Atlanta Public Schools can confirm that a group of students at Grady High School reported that a male entered the building with a handgun around 1:30 p.m. The students reported that the male then ran out of the building. As a precaution, the building was put on a hard lockdown while Atlanta police and APS safety and security officials responded. Law enforcement conducted a search of the building but did not locate the suspect, nor a handgun. APD is now conducting a search in the nearby community. All students remain safe and in classrooms. The school will proceed with a soft lockdown for the remainder of the school day."
The Atlanta Police Department continues to search for the person, identified as a former student, in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Atlanta police blocked the entrances to Grady High School as other police officers searched the building for the former student.
According to police, a group of Grady students saw the former student walk in with a gun, then run back out again.
That prompted a hard lockdown as police searched the building.
Student teacher Alex Munger was stuck outside.
"They had blockaded both that entrance and they locked the gate on this entrance where I normally park," Munger said.
After police searched the building and made sure that the former student was not in the building, they lifted the hard lockdown, but kept a soft lockdown in place for the rest of the day.
Munger graduated from Grady in 2013 and remembers other police incidents.
"I went down because all my stuff is in there. I went down to ask him if I can get it, and they said, 'No, we're on lockdown," Munger said.
All students are reported to be safe.
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