There is no longer an active threat in Tenleytown after gunshots were fired outside of Jackson-Reed High School Friday afternoon, American University announced via AU Alert.
AU shuttle buses traveling to the Tenleytown metro station have now returned to normal service, and the Washington College of Law and the Frequency Apartments have been reopened with an increased security presence in the area.
“After a thorough search of the area, MPD indicated that the shots were exchanged between two vehicles in the street and there is no active threat,” said Phil Morse, the assistant vice president of University Police Services and Emergency Management, in an email to the AU community early Friday evening. “There were no injuries reported at the scene and the lockdown has been lifted. There is no indication of any threat to the AU community.”
Jackson-Reed High School is located in Tenleytown about a mile away from the University’s main campus. In response to the incident, AU sent out alerts to community members through email, text, social media and on University computers telling them to avoid the area. Students living in the Frequency Apartments were told to shelter in place, and WCL was also locked down. Shuttle bus service to the Tenleytown metro station was suspended for the duration of the incident.
“AUPD works closely with MPD and monitors their alerts and radio updates,” Morse wrote. “When MPD reported the incident, AUPD activated relevant university emergency protocols to support the safety of the AU community.”
The AU Alert lifting the lockdowns was sent out at 3:21 p.m., but there will still be increased AUPD presence in the areas surrounding the Tenleytown metro station, the Frequency Apartments and WCL over the weekend out of caution, according to Morse’s email.
