On Monday, October 2, Mt. Zion High School's parents, faculty, and students experienced unease when a box, believed to have been for a small caliber handgun, was found on campus, which led to a precautionary lockdown. After an extensive search of the school premises however, no firearms were found. The lingering question surrounding this incident is how the box ended up on campus and whether a weapon was ever present.
A report by Fox Illinois noted that the lockdown commenced just before 7 a.m., with students being sent home between 8-8:30 a.m. The cardboard box, bearing a gun manufacturer's logo, contained a gun safety lock, paperwork, and a serial number for a small caliber handgun. The Macon County Sheriff's Department and K9 units from the Illinois Secretary of State Police worked together to ensure the building is safe but found no firearms.
The school conducted additional checks, to ensure the utmost safety of everyone involved. As mentioned by WAND-TV, both the high school and junior high buildings were put under lockdown for staff, police, deputies, and multiple state police K-9 units trained in weapon identification to do search.
While no particular threats were made to any school or student, the Mt. Zion police are investigating the origins of the box found at the high school. The school had hosted weekend events, with many people in and out of the building, according to Fox Illinois. This complicates the investigation, as tracing the source of the box becomes increasingly imperative.
In a report by WAND-TV, the district disclosed that they had identified an owner of the gun box by Monday afternoon. They continued to reassure the community that they did not believe that students or staff are in any danger. As a caution, law enforcement presence will be amplified at the high school and junior high, particularly at student arrival times on Tuesday, with additional administration present.
