Police searched the neighborhood but found no trace of the man with the gun or any evidence that a gun had been fired.
SPRINGFIELD – The Rebecca M. Johnson School of Visual and Performing Arts on Catharine Street was in lockdown for about 45 minutes Wednesday afternoon as a precaution as police investigated reports of a man with a gun being seen in the vicinity.
The lockdown occurred right about dismissal time, and students were held inside the building until the area was declared clear. No one was allowed to enter or exit the building.
It was lifted at 4:15 p.m., according to school officials.
Police did not find anyone with a gun, nor did they find any evidence such as spent shell casings which would indicate a shot had been fired in the area where the man was reported to have been, according to police.
The school department also used an automated telephone service to alert parents of the development, and to inform them that their children would be late coming home from school.