This morning at 9:02 a.m., Hope Elementary went on lockdown due to supposed gunshots in the nearby canyon. Carlsbad Police fled to the scene with fleets of police cars and helicopters overhead, securing the area. Unsure of what exactly the sound was, students at the school have been on lockdown ever since the “shots” were heard.
At 9:25 a.m. an update to the Sage Creek campus was sent out by Principal César Morales, who stated in an email that “No incident occurred on campus. Out of an abundance of caution, Hope Elementary will remain on lockdown until Carlsbad Police complete their investigation.”
“I feel for the little kids over there, if you’re a first grader or second grader, it’s scary,” Morales said.
Parents of students at the elementary school include teachers at Sage Creek. Chemistry teacher Tara Andersson’s six-year-old daughter is one of those children at Hope. Andersson commented on how she feels about the current situation.
“It totally sucks, all I hope right now is that my daughter’s teacher has the doors locked, and the windows are shut.”
Authorities have a suspicion that the large sounds could be a result from the construction taking place in the canyon, however, as a precaution, the school will remain on lockdown until a thorough investigation is complete, and it is certain that there is no threat.
Reflecting on the lockdown, Andersson stated, “I just hope that she’s not scared. That’s my hope.”
Tom ◊ May 29, 2019 at 1:20 pm
I live near Hope, and heard the backfiring car and the sirens from my place, and it was honestly quite worrying to think that there had been a gunshot in the near vicinity of my house. Thank goodness it was only a car backfiring and nothing more.
John ◊ May 26, 2019 at 6:16 pm
it was just a car backfiring. guns are good.
duke ◊ May 16, 2019 at 9:19 am
wholesome responses 🙂
Angel ◊ May 15, 2019 at 3:03 pm
Other local news websites said people and police said it was a vehicle backfiring.
Rachael Brower ◊ May 15, 2019 at 2:27 pm
As someone who went to Hope elementary as a kid, I feel so bad for these kids. I remember in 4th grade, my sister was at Carlsbad High School and had gotten a shooting threat. It was not even at our school, and everyone was still on the edge. I was scared horribly for my sister, but the threat turned out to be a student that did not want to take finals. Soooooo maybe we were being a bit extra, but you can never be too cautious. This is a prime example.
Andrew Emde ◊ May 15, 2019 at 1:28 pm
Wow. Great job at covering an event so quickly. And you were also able to implement the google maps thing at the job. Thi s is some professional reporting.
Benni Ogilvie ◊ May 15, 2019 at 12:41 pm
As someone who went to Hope, I hope that the people there will be okay. I remember when I went there, we had a lockdown once that seemed legit, but turns out it was based on a call all the way from Washington that passed by word of mouth, I guess. Afterwards, I felt stupid because I felt that I should’ve known better, because nothing like that ever happens here. But today, that fear is real.