Kaneland High School Locked Down After Shell Casings Found

Kaneland High School was on lock-down for about 35 minutes Thursday after officials found shell casings in a hallway.

The casings were from a starter pistol similar to those used for track meets, said Lt. Pat Gengler, Kane County Sheriff's Office spokesman. The Sheriff's Office was notified of the incident at about 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The casings appeared old and weathered, according to a press release from the office.

"No ammunition or weapons were associated with this incident," read a statement on the school's website.

Classes resumed later in the day, under a modified schedule with heightened supervision.

This is the second Kane County high school in the past week to go on lock-down after a discovery in an open area.

Students at were after a live round of ammunition was found in a common area. Students were told to leave their backpacks at the school while .

"We don't think there's any relation to that (incident)," Gengler told Patch on Thursday afternoon.

Kaneland High School and the Kane Co. Sheriff's Office will continue to investigate this incident. Word of mouth among students and the community might lead to a suspect, Gengler said.

"We have a real good likelihood of finding out who did this," he said.

Gengler would not specify whether the school had surveillance footage of the hallway where the bullet was found. He said authorities do not disclose security procedures related to students.

Anyone who might have questions or information that will assist the investigation can call the principal's office at Kaneland High School. The number is 630-365-5100, ext. 204.

Kaneland High School will not conduct classes tomorrow due to a School Improvement Day event, according to an online calendar on the school's website. There are no classes at the school on Monday in observance of the Columbus Day holiday.

School Procedure

The school took the following actions after they discovered the shell casings, according to a statement on the website:

• School placed on lock-down at 12:22 p.m. on Oct. 6
• Determined immediately that casings were from a starter pistol
• Building secured quickly
• Kane County Sheriff's Explosives K9 unit responded to school to conduct search
• No additional items located
• Determined no threat existed to students or staff
• Lock-down lifted
• Students followed modified schedule
• Students released on time for end of school day