'Must act with urgency': Las Vegas middle school goes into 'hard lockdown' after male staff member shot, suspect still at large
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: A male staff member at Ed Von Tobel Middle School on N Pecos Road in Las Vegas was shot around 12.30 pm on Monday, May 8, 2023, resulting in the school being placed under a "hard lockdown". The injured man was taken to the hospital, and there were no other reported injuries. The school has since been cleared, as stated by the Las Vegas Metro police.
During a hard lockdown, all doors of a school must be locked and students must hide until they are given permission to leave. According to the police, all students at Ed Von Tobel Middle School have been accounted for, and the Clark County School District Police stated that a "controlled release" of students will take place while parents eagerly awaited news outside. Two elementary schools near the middle school were also put on lockdown.
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'This was not an active shooter'
Authorities are currently searching for the suspect who remains at large, but have reassured the public that there is no immediate danger. "This was not an active shooter," authorities said at a news conference, as per Daily Mail, explaining that the shooting was an "isolated incident." The suspect has also not been identified at this time.
Principal Leonardo Amador said in a letter to the parents, "The safety of our students is the number one priority at Von Tobel Middle School. As always, we want to keep you informed of important issues happening within our school community. The school has been placed on a hard lockdown due to a police investigation. Students are safe in their classroom."
'We are not surprised'
The shooting incident on Monday did not come as a surprise due to inadequate school security measures, according to a statement by the Clark County Education Association. The statement read, "Our hearts go out to the adult injured this afternoon in the shooting at Von Tobel Middle School, and we hope for their speedy recovery. We are deeply saddened by this news, but, unfortunately, we are not surprised. The lack of safety in our schools is nothing short of a crisis, and with hundreds of deadly weapons confiscated already on CCSD campuses this school year, CCEA has been loud and clear that we believe this situation was a school shooting waiting to happen."
"We have been loud and clear that our governor and our lawmakers must act with urgency to address this crisis in the current legislative session—before an event like the one that happened occurred. We are fortunate that no one was killed in the shooting today, but we cannot afford continued inaction, and we should not expect to be so fortunate the next time," the group continued.
"There are currently two pieces of legislation before the legislature—AB285 and AB330—which are designed to curb this violence in our schools. Both bills passed out of the Assembly with overwhelming bipartisan support and are awaiting hearings in the Senate. We urge a swift passage of these bills so we can finally ensure that every bus, every classroom, and every campus in CCSD are safe, for our students and staff alike," the statement further read.