Lake Tahoe Community College and South Tahoe Middle School were on lockdown briefly Wednesday afternoon because someone reported hearing shots being fired in the meadow by the college.

“Within about 30 minutes we had sufficiently searched the area to realize there was no imminent threat to anyone so the all clear was given,” Police Chief Brian Uhler told Lake Tahoe News. “We never did find a person with a firearm or discover what actually happened.”

The school lockdowns were precautionary and are ultimately the decision of the school sites. College President Kindred Murillo told Lake Tahoe News the school was secure within five minutes of being notified of the potential threat.

Someone called dispatch at 2:34pm May 13 saying they heard two shots fired. Officers who responded and talked to others in the vicinity were told four shots were fired.

“We will continue to follow up if we get anymore leads,” Uhler said.

The meadow is decent size and sound in the basin travels in ways that where someone heard something might not be where it originated from.

In a separate incident after the schools reopened, there was a report of a man walking down Winnemucca Avenue with a rifle. This caused Barton Memorial Hospital to go on lockdown for a short time. The all clear was given about 5:15pm.

Officers never found anyone roaming the streets with a gun.

“In the second case we had a few people who witnessed the incident,” Uhler said.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report