Northwood High School lockdown was caused by hunter, Chatham sheriff says

There was not a shooter at Northwood High School on Monday, only a nearby hunter.

The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that a shot heard by a teacher at about 8 a.m. Monday came from a hunter, according to a report by WNCN.

Northwood is located near a wooded area where the shot was reported and that forest is known to draw local hunters.

The Sheriff’s Office had received a report that a Northwood teacher had heard single gunshot fired in the woods behind the school. The school was put on lockdown and the sheriff deputies setup a command post on the Northwood’s campus. They conducted a sweep of the school, buses and outlying buildings but did not find anything for anyone of a suspicious nature.

After the security sweep, the sheriff’s office sent out a messages saying their was no active shooter situation at the school.

“Again, there is NO ACTIVE SHOOTER at Northwood High School and our deputies will remain on scene until the lockdown is lifted by school administration,” Chatham Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lt. Sara Pack wrote. “We want to reassure the public, especially parents and caregivers, that students are safe and no one has been harmed.”

This story was originally published November 13, 2017 at 9:21 AM with the headline "Northwood High School lockdown was caused by hunter, Chatham sheriff says."