Booker T. Washington goes on lockdown after shooter threat

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GREENWOOD Dist. — A suspect was taken into custody around 10:50 a.m. on Monday, after threats of a shooter caused Tulsa Public Schools to place Booker T. Washington High School on lockdown.

On Monday morning around 9 a.m. several students alerted TPS of a possible threat that someone was planning to “come over to Booker T Washington and shoot someone at our school,” FOX 23 reported.

After reviewing the threats, school administrators deemed them credible and alerted Tulsa Police Department, which responded and apprehended a suspect.

“Though our students are visibly upset, we are thankful that no one was injured and that our students had the presence of mind to report the threat to administrators to ensure that we were able to keep everyone safe at Booker T,” the school said in a statement on Monday.

Booker T Washington faces shooter scare

The threat comes as Oklahoma lawmakers have debated how to keep students safe amid a school shooting crisis that has already impacted at least 13 communities across the nation just this year, according to Education Week, which tracks school shootings.

Some lawmakers have proposed reducing the hours of training required for school teachers and staff who carry weapons.

Meanwhile, in 2020 Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed into law a ban on red flag laws, which would trigger the confiscation of guns from people deemed mentally impaired or a threat to the community.

Police have not yet released details about the person taken into custody.