‘Once Again, Our Community Was Terrorized': Highland Park Mayor Addresses School Incident

Highland Park's mayor spoke out Tuesday hours after a number of area schools and buildings were placed on lockdown following a report of a high school student "potentially in possession of a gun."

Mayor Nancy Rotering thanked first responders and district staff for their handling of the incident, but noted how troubling it was for the community that suffered a mass shooting less than one year ago.

"On behalf of the Highland Park community, we share our deepest appreciation for today’s excellent work by the Highland Park Police Department and our neighboring law enforcement agencies, who immediately provided mutual aid. We are also grateful for the leadership of Township High School District 113 administration and staff, and government partners at North Shore School District 112, the Park District of Highland Park, and Highland Park Public Library in responding to this incident," she said in a statement. "While we were so relieved that the event ended without incident, once again, our community was terrorized by the threat of gun violence."

She urged residents who may seek trauma support to call 211 for assistance.

"We must continue to work towards a time when we can live free from the threat of gun violence," Rotering said. "Those who can, need to take action now, so that our students can go to school without fear of random gun violence. Wherever and whenever they occur, every lockdown, every drill takes a toll on our children and our communities."

Five students are in custody following the lockdowns at Highland Park High School and other district schools, which were the result of a report of a student "potentially in possession of a gun" on the high school's campus, city officials said Tuesday.

The situation unfolded just after 11 a.m. when the city of Highland Park issued an alert stating "please be advised of a heavy police presence at Highland Park High School."

Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega noted that lockdowns were also reported at Braeside Elementary School, Red Oak Elementary School and the Highland Park Library, halting "all voter services" at those locations. Voting hours at those locations were later extended to 8:35 p.m. as a result of the delays.

Some schools and childcare centers in neighboring towns and villages, including Glencoe, were also placed on "soft lockdown" out of an "abundance of caution," emails to families in those districts showed.

In an 11:30 a.m. emailed update to families in District 113, superintendent Bruce Law said that the school received "an anonymous tip reporting a rumor of a student in possession of a gun."

"Immediately following the report of that tip, Highland Park High School reported the tip to law enforcement," the email reads. "As Highland Park High School began investigating the tip, another student came forward to report seeing a student with a gun. At that point, Highland Park Police Department was already on the scene and advised HPHS to go into lockdown."

The email adds that the student alleged to have a gun was identified, and that security footage indicated that "he and another student had left the building," but both were eventually apprehended.

By 12:30 p.m., students were seen being released from the school. At that time, the city said the lockdown had been lifted at Highland Park High School, as well as other buildings in the area, and five students had been taken into custody.

Earlier Tuesday, NBC 5's Charlie Wojciechowski reported a few dozen students at Highland Park High School were seen near the campus as part of a walk out in support of gun safety. Students say the walkout was planned in response to the 2022 Fourth of July Shooting at the Highland Park Parade, as well as the school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.

At 11 a.m. Tuesday, Robert Crimo Jr., the father of the suspected Highland Park shooter, was expected to appear at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan for a planned hearing.

Crimo Jr. has previously entered a plea of not guilty to charges that he helped his son obtain a gun license three years before the attack.

It is not known whether any of the incidents are related.