The South Beauregard school facility was placed on lockdown the first day of the new school year after a report came in of a person walking near the campus with a firearm, authorities said.

Beauregard Parish Chief Det. Mark Herford said the sheriff’s office and Louisiana State Police responded to a report of a person walking in the median of U.S. 171, near the school grounds.

Herford said the original caller reported the person appeared to have a gun to his head.

The call was received at about 1:51 p.m., Herford said, and the school was placed on lockdown within five minutes. The lockdown was lifted once the area was deemed safe and secure at 2:47 p.m.

Despite an intensive search of the area for hours following the call and after school had dismissed for the day, Herford said the subject of the call was never located. He also said authorities were unable to confirm if the individual had possessed a firearm. 

He said law enforcement received several additional calls from people reporting they had seen a person in the area, but the descriptions of what the subject was holding varied from a gas can to a stick.

While the report may have been unverified, Herford said the incident displayed what he believes is the positive effects of ongoing training local law enforcement and school faculties have been working towards over the past year.

Herford said BPSO authorities had just conducted a civilian response to an active shooter training course at the South Beauregard campus on Monday afternoon.  

“I am very pleased with the response time, and I would like to think that the training helped,” Herford said.

Beauregard Parish sheriff’s office and Louisiana State Police responded to a report of a person walking in the median of U.S. 171, near South Beauregard school grounds.

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