Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies arrested a suspect after investigating a pair of reports Wednesday of a man firing an Airsoft pellet gun at Mint Canyon Elementary School, which prompted an hourslong lockdown of the campus.
Deputies were on campus to investigate a campus report of a broken window and pellets found earlier that morning when they were flagged down by a school official who said, “‘He’s shooting at us again,’” according to Deputy Robert Jensen of the SCV Sheriff’s Station.
The initial report from witnesses indicated the pellets were coming from a nearby mobile home park, but they did not indicate where the suspect was located.
Ultimately, Kevin McGarry, 28, was arrested as the result of deputies’ initial investigation. His booking charge was not immediately available, according to officials.
After the suspect was in custody, SCV Sheriff’s Station deputies recovered several firearms during a search of the suspect’s home Wednesday, according to Station Capt. Justin Diez.
No injuries to students, campus staff or law enforcement officials were reported from the incident.
The incident was first reported at approximately 10 a.m., and shortly before 11 a.m., it was reported that a suspect was being detained.
An L.A. County Sheriff’s Department helicopter circled overhead to assist in the search as the school was placed on a lockdown as a precaution.
Parents who gathered outside the Sand Canyon campus said they were notified around 10:20 a.m. of a possible incident and a school lockdown. The school resumed normal activities after the incident, but a couple dozen parents gathered for over an hour outside campus to pick up their kids after receiving the alert.
Jason Johnson, whose son is a fourth-grader, said he saw chatter about the incident on Facebook and headed to campus and then got an automated alert from the campus’s notification system.
He could see his son’s classroom from the parking lot, so he said he stayed there a while.
“I hear it’s an air rifle, but man, it’ scary to think of what that guy could have done if he had something else,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think I would have to deal with this.”
Johnson said he was picking up his son as soon as the lockdown was lifted so he could help the child take his mind off what happened.
Mixia Sentillan also was waiting for her fourth-grader, and said her son had a cell phone but she wasn’t able to reach him on it during the incident.
During the lockdown, a command post was established at the nearby Canyon Country Little League facility. L.A. County Fire Department personnel were dispatched to the scene shortly after 10 a.m. and were positioned at the command post in case they should be needed.
Catherine Kawaguchi, superintendent of the Sulphur Springs Union School District, said shortly after 10:30 a.m. that no students or staff had been harmed.
“The school is on lockdown and the students and staff are safe,” Kawaguchi said, adding that it was fortuitous that deputies happened to be on campus at the time, taking a report on the previous incident. “It was good for us that they were there, and they are handling it.”
About 45 minutes later, Kawaguchi provided an update, reporting that the lockdown had been updated to a “soft lockdown,” and that the students had access to their lunches. At that time, she said, the plan was to complete the school day on its normal schedule.
Sheriff’s officials reported deputies had left the campus as of about 1:30 p.m. and were following up with their investigation.
This is a breaking news story and additional information will be added as it becomes available.
This is a breaking news story and additional information will be added as it becomes available.
