UPDATED: The Maryland-National Capital Park Police released a statement that confirmed the arrest of two individuals related to the off-campus incident that resulted in Wednesday’s school lockdown. A juvenile and 19-year-old were charged with various firearm-related crimes on Thursday, Feb. 20. The latter was also charged with reckless endangerment and first-degree assault.
At 10:57 am Wednesday, Feb. 19, students and staff at B-CC were placed on lockdown due to reports of shots fired in the 4700 block of Chase Ave near the Chase Ave Urban Park, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police. Community members were asked to remain away from school grounds. B-CC stayed in lockdown until around 1:21 pm, at which point, the school transitioned into a shelter-in-place. Students were not permitted to leave school grounds until regular dismissal time.
In a letter to the school community published Wednesday evening, principal Shelton Mooney wrote, “This morning at approximately 10:10 am a community member called the main office to report that they had witnessed a fight in a neighborhood park and that they had heard gunfire. The community member shared that the fighters dispersed in different directions after the gunfire was heard. The community member who called the office called us out of an abundance of caution based on the proximity of the park to the school. We immediately reached out to our Montgomery County Police Department Community Engagement Officer, who briefed school administration on the incident. We also contacted the Montgomery County Public Schools Office of School Support and Improvement and the Department of School Safety and Emergency Management to inform them and request assistance as necessary.”
Once school officials reviewed video footage of the fight and confirmed that B-CC students were involved, the lockdown was ordered to discern whether or not any of those students entered the school. “B-CC and MCPS staff worked with Montgomery County Police and Maryland-National Capital Park Police to identify students, review security camera footage, and gather additional information. A decision was made to transition to a shelter-in-place at 1:21 pm after determining that students in the building were safe,” Mooney said.
As a result of the lockdown, all after-school sports and activities were cancelled; B-CC’s International Night was postponed to Friday, April 25. A field trip to The Universities at Shady Grove for freshmen students scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 20 was also cancelled. Teachers were asked to postpone any possible assessments scheduled for Thursday.
Mooney wrote, “Today, I was impressed by the behavior of our students and staff during this serious and stressful event. I am also grateful for the support of our community, our police partners, and MCPS central office staff for their assistance during this event. I know that every person who experienced this lockdown today will process it in a different way. While some may prefer to move forward, others will need space to process their feelings, and some will not be able to react until some future time.”
Courtesy of the MCPS Crisis Team, counselors will be available to provide support to students and staff. Increased security and police presence will be present in the school for the rest of the week.
