Full Notification

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE/TIME: February 23, 2015 @ 9:25 am

LOCATIONS: Summit Preparatory Charter High School
890 Broadway
Redwood City, CA. 94063


TYPE OF INCIDENT: Report of shots fired on the school campus


SUMMARY:

On February 23, 2015 at approximately 9:25 am, Redwood City police communications received a 911 call from a student who reported hearing multiple gunshots in a building on the Summit Preparatory High School campus. The student notified school staff and they followed proper protocol and initiated a school lockdown. Officers arrived on scene and quickly assembled entry teams and a perimeter around the school. Redwood City Fire Department personnel and AMR paramedics were summoned to the scene as a precautionary measure. Redwood City requested mutual aid assistance due to the nature of the incident and personnel from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol responded. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office sent 5 deputies with a sergeant and the California Highway Patrol responded with a captain, a sergeant and 4 officers. The CHP also activated their helicopter to respond from the Napa area to assist. Police evacuated approximately 340 students and 20 faculty members. The Redwood City Police Department’s SWAT team and patrol officers conducted a thorough search of the campus. Once the campus was thoroughly searched and secured students were allowed to return to class.

The incident is currently under investigation but there was no evidence of a shooting having occurred. The initial investigation determined several staff members and students heard the loud “pops” but felt they were caused by balloons popping in a nearby classroom or noise from a nearby construction site where pneumatic nail guns were being used.

One student suffered from anxiety symptoms during the evacuation and was treated by paramedics that were on scene. The very calm and collected on-scene guidance provided by Diane Tavenner, CEO of Summit Public Schools, with principals Penelope McMillen and Wren Maletsky aided in the safe evacuation of students and provided an informed response for police. The police worked closely with Summit School staff to ensure that students were evacuated safely and the proper notifications were made to the parents. The previous training and preparation taken by school administrators and staff for this type of an event was an important component in the successful resolve for today’s event.

The Redwood City Police Department deployed a significant amount of recourses and utilized mutual aid to ensure they were prepared in the event an actual shooting incident occurred.

In June of 2014, The Redwood City Police and Fire Departments conducted a large-scale joint tactical exercise as a component of their Enhanced School Safety Plan. The exercise provided Redwood City Police, Firefighters, and EMTs with a challenging environment to practice the tactics and skills necessary to respond to a critical incident such as this. The Redwood City Police Department has conducted training at all the schools in Redwood City to present our Enhanced School Safety plan and to establish protocols for school staff to follow during these types of incidents.


If you have any information regarding this incident please contact Lt. Sean Hart at 650-780-7681.