Security increased at Maiden area schools after gunshot reported

Authorities are searching for someone who was reported to have stuck a long gun out of a truck and fired a shot at or near a school bus stop on East Maiden Road in Catawba County Friday morning.

Shortly before 7 a.m., a parent called 911 to report the gunshot, after a middle school child reported seeing a male stick a gun out of the window of a truck and fire a shot, Sheriff Coy Reid said. The red and white truck was traveling east on East Maiden Road, the sheriff said.

Reid said no immediate threat exists at any school, but Tuttle Elementary was put on a “high level of alert” and the sheriff’s office increased security at all Maiden area schools.

“We will continue to be on a high level of alert for any suspicious situations on or near our schools, bus routes, etc., and we encourage the public to contact law enforcement if they observe any questionable situations,” Reid said in a news release about 10:30 a.m.

This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 11:17 AM with the headline "Security increased at Maiden area schools after gunshot reported."