Lockdown at Crescent Elk After Student Brings Lookalike Gun to School

A student at Crescent Elk Middle School was briefly detained this morning, December 9, 2025, after a 911 caller reported seeing a student bring what initially appeared to be a firearm onto campus. The item was later confirmed to be a plastic squirt gun resembling a real handgun.

“The youth was not arrested,” said Police Chief Griffin. “They are being dealt with administratively, and a criminal report has been forwarded to the District Attorney for review. We were on scene in less than a minute of receiving the call, and the lockdown was lifted immediately after we confirmed the student was secure. The entire incident lasted only a few minutes. We take this very seriously, as shown by the response of multiple agencies to the potential threat.”

This incident occurred during a period in which California has experienced several years with elevated school-safety concerns, leading many families to be particularly sensitive to emergency alerts and notifications—even when situations are resolved quickly or turn out not to pose an actual threat.

Del Norte Unified School District is scheduled to implement a new Standard Response Protocol (SRP) in the new year to improve clarity and consistency in how emergency information is communicated to families. The SRP was developed by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation, created after the 2006 Platte Canyon High School shooting in Colorado to help schools adopt clear, standardized crisis communication procedures.

Even when an item or alarm is ultimately determined to pose no threat, law enforcement and school officials note that all reports must be treated with caution until the situation is fully understood.

Shortly after the lockdown at Crescent Elk was lifted, a separate incident occurred when a faulty sensor triggered the school’s fire alarm system. This resulted in an evacuation of students and staff. Fire personnel responded and confirmed there was no fire and no danger to the campus. The building was cleared shortly thereafter, and no injuries were reported.

No additional details have been released regarding disciplinary actions or whether further information will be provided to families. The district has not announced further updates at this time.