Armed officers in parking lot prompt school lockdown

Matthew Reisen, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·2 min read

Aug. 19—Students and faculty at Rio Grande High School were ordered to shelter in place Wednesday afternoon after two men with weapons were seen in the parking lot.

It turned out that the two men were U.S. Marshals who used the student lot to switch equipment from one vehicle to another, officials said.

Monica Armenta, an Albuquerque Public Schools spokeswoman, said she did not know which agency the officers were with, nor any other details about the incident.

Dispatch records show the men were with the U.S. Marshals Service and at least one was seen with an AR-15 rifle before they departed in a Dodge Caravan.

"Even though this turned out to be a false alarm, we are grateful to the individual who came forward to alert security of a possible problem," Rio Grande High Principal Antoinette Valenzuela said in a statement.

At around 10:55 a.m., APS posted on its website that the high school was under a shelter-in-place order "due to police activity on campus." Minutes later, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office tweeted that deputies were assisting during the lockdown.

"No further details at this time," the tweet read. The lockdown was lifted shortly thereafter.

The false alarm comes on the heels of a Friday shooting at Washington Middle School that left one 13-year-old dead and another charged with murder.

On Wednesday, Valenzuela called school safety a "community responsibility," and encouraged students, staff and neighbors to alert APS when they learn of potential threats to our school.

"We take every possible threat seriously, and work closely with APS Police and other law enforcement to keep our campus safe," she said. "We all have a role to play in ensuring our school remains a safe place for learning. Remember: If you see something, say something. I appreciate your cooperation."

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