SAN ANTONIO – At least half a dozen schools within close proximity of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland were placed on lockdown Friday morning due to an active shooter situation on the base.
The lockdown was put into place at some point around 9 a.m. and affected at least three schools in the Northside Independent School District as well as three in the South San Antonio ISD.
During that time, students were kept indoors with the doors locked and blinds drawn. No one was allowed to leave or enter the building.
At Valley Hi Elementary, which is located just outside one of Lackland’s gates, school police officers could be seen blocking all of the school’s entrances.
"It's scary 'cause they really don't tell you nothing,” said Elizabeth DeLaRosa, who has children who attend Valley Hi. "I just want to go in there and stay with them but I can't.”
DeLaRosa said she already was on campus when the trouble started and was ordered to return to her car to wait out the situation. She had planned to watch her children take part in a student field day.
Instead the event was interrupted shortly after it started. Children were rushed inside the building, while police officers rushed to set up posts around its perimeter.
Meanwhile, Mark Hernandez and other parents rushed to the campus.
He said he read about the Lackland shooting on social media, but felt somewhat relieved after seeing the safety measures that had been taken.
"It makes you feel a little safe to let you know that the kids are inside,” he said.
Hernandez waited for the lockdown to be lifted, then went inside to retrieve his daughter, giving her an early start to her weekend. He said his big concern now is finding a way to explain it all to his little girl, who is only in the first grade.
"You just try, I guess to put it in the simplest terms,” Hernandez said, “there was a bad person outside and that she was very protected with the officers around.”
Although it made for a tense morning for parents, no children were injured during the incident.