Police find the gun that triggered an hours-long lockdown at West High

Investigators confirm the gun was found by a school resource officer, but they’re not releasing any details about how the gun was found, whether it was found on school property or why a student brought it to West High.  Police searched the high school yesterday during the lockdown with no luck.

Three students were taken into custody after someone  posted a picture to Snapchat that reportedly showed someone with a handgun inside a bathroom at the school.  District officials say multiple students showed that picture to their counselors, who showed it to the principal’s office.  Police say no shots were fired and the students were not in any physical danger while they were locked in their classrooms.

We have an update on this case. Our School Resource Officers have recovered the gun used in this incident. Our investigation with @slcschools is ongoing and we have no additional details to release.

— Salt Lake City Police (@slcpd) December 14, 2021

Chatwin says students use the SafeUT app to report any possible threats this school year.  She says they’ve seen a lot of tips come in through the app, but nothing that rose to this level of criminality.

“It is very serious and we’re grateful that police were able to be there so quickly to investigate so thoroughly,” Chatwin says.  “Hopefully. We’re able to go into the holiday season without any other incidents like this.”