2 Fort Mill schools briefly put on secure mode during police search
Fort Mill schools were impacted Thursday afternoon as police searched nearby, officials said.
Law enforcement officials issued an alert after a short while saying there was not a threat to the public.
But a heavy police presence could be seen a few hours earlier in Fort Mill along Springfield Parkway, S.C. 160, Tom Hall Street, and neighborhoods and wooded areas, officials said.
The perimeter of the police search did not include the campuses of Fort Mill Middle School and Fort Mill Elementary School, but school officials took action because of the proximity, said Joe Burke, spokesman for the Fort Mill school district. The schools are located next to each other north of S.C. 160.
Fort Mill Middle School and Fort Mill Elementary School were both placed on secure mode for a period of time Thursday afternoon, Burke said.
Secure mode means all students and staff are brought inside the buildings, and no one is allowed in or out, Burke said. Activities inside continued, Burke said.
District officials decided to go ahead with normal dismissal procedures, Burke said. Parents were advised of the activity and dismissal decision by message, Burke said.
Schools were advised they could return to normal operations around 2:15 p.m., Burke said.
Police in area
Fort Mill police and other law enforcement were searching for a man who ran from officers, said Capt. Steven Bivins of the Fort Mill Police Department.
The area is east of downtown Fort Mill. It is close to residential neighborhoods and a commercial strip along Tom Hall Street.
Around 2:00 p.m., Fort Mill police posted on social media that there was not believed to be a threat to the public.
“The search has been concluded and there is no imminent threat to the public,” the social media posting stated.
Fort Mill police, along with York County Sheriff’s Office deputies and K-9, had been conducting the search, Bivins said.
This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 2:25 PM with the headline "2 Fort Mill schools briefly put on secure mode during police search."
