A 24-year-old man was in custody Thursday afternoon after he was allegedly spotted waving a handgun, prompting a lockdown at three nearby Henry County schools.
Witnesses reported seeing a man wearing gray shorts, but no shirt or shoes, with a gun near Woodland High School around 10:30 a.m., according to the Henry sheriff’s office. One parent instructed her children to “duck” as she drove past the man and into the school’s parking lot, investigators said.
The man, later identified as Shelby Mark Poss, was seen running toward the school. The sheriff’s office and its SWAT team, along with the Henry County police and fire departments, responded to the school, along with paramedics.
That prompted three schools to be put on lockdown: Woodland High, Woodland Middle and Woodland Elementary. All students and staff members were safe during the incident.
“A mass emergency notification was then sent to surrounding homes and businesses as authorities tracked Poss,” the sheriff’s office said in an emailed statement.
In a message on the schools’ websites, parents were advised not to go to the schools, all located on Moseley Drive in the Stockbridge area, because no one was being allowed in the area. Shortly after 2 p.m., the lockdown was lifted and the schools were dismissed routinely, the school district said.
“This was an isolated incident that started around 10:30 a.m. and was over before school was dismissed and no one including the suspect was harmed,” Henry Sheriff Reginald B. Scandrett said. “Our collaborative effort with the aforementioned agencies allowed us to bring Poss into custody in a timely manner.”
Poss was located nearby and a handgun was found, the sheriff’s office said. Investigators said they believe he was under the influence of narcotics.
Poss will be charged with reckless conduct and disruption of public schools, the sheriff’s office said.
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