Alyssa Stewart texted her mother as soon as a lockdown began Thursday morning, May 26, at White Station High School.

She didn’t even know why, but the 17-year-old still texted mother Kristal Bourgeois to let her know what was going on.

“Because of what recently happened, as soon as she said, ‘We’re on lockdown. It’s not a drill,’ that was the first thing that popped into my head,” said Bourgeois, who was at Richland Elementary School at the time for another child’s fifth-grade promotion ceremony. “That was the first first feeling that I had, was that it was something bad and that it probably had to do with a gun.”

Collierville to host active shooter training Friday

Like many others, the images of this week’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas — where 19 students and two teachers died — were no doubt on Bourgeois’ mind Thursday after reports of a student with a gun forced lockdown of the school at 514 S. Perkins Road. 

Memphis police reported a student was detained and a gun recovered Thursday morning, but they said no shots were fired and there were no injuries.

Still, the scene caused anxious moments for students and parents as police rushed to the scene and the school was put on a “soft lockdown” on what was supposed to be the penultimate day of classes. 

MPD said in an emailed statement early in the day that officers received a call about a student who was armed. 

“The student has been detained and a gun has been recovered,” the email said. “There are no reports of any injuries nor were any shots fired. It is reported that the gun was secured and not in the hands of the juvenile when it was found.”

Top cop plans changes to MPD, including restructuring department’s ranking system

Police later reported that the unidentified juvenile was charged with carrying a weapon with intent on school property, possession of a handgun by a juvenile, unlawful possession of a weapon and theft of property $1,000 to $2,000 to wit: handgun.

The juvenile is 16 years old and was transported to Juvenile Court. 

MSCS said the student reportedly brought the weapon for protection to and from school.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools told The Daily Memphian a search of the premises was conducted and families were notified of the lockdown.

“MSCS Security and school administration followed District protocols and procedures as we continue to prioritize the safety of students,” a MSCS spokesperson said.

“We appreciate the swift action of our security team that quickly addressed the matter.”

Bourgeois said she received the text message from the school informing her of the incident about an hour after her daughter told her.

She arrived at the school by 11:30 a.m. to a heavy police presence, but she had to wait among a large crowd of parents as the school checked IDs and let students out one-by-one. 

As soon as she got her daughter into the car, she said she felt relieved.

“At that point, I felt relieved, but also felt really sad that it all just took place, that it happened,” Bourgeois said. “I was relieved and happy to see her, but I was sad that she had to experience that. She said she had a panic attack in the classroom. But she said that a few of the kids and the teachers were real good about calming her down.”

Crime Crisis: MPD brass wants more officers. Here’s how it’s deploying who it has

The lockdown occurred while students were taking their final exams.

Due to the circumstances, Bourgeois said MSCS told parents their children did not have to show up for school Friday and that completing final exams was optional. 

Hours later, Bennie Cobb, owner of Eagle Eye Security and a retired Shelby County Sheriff’s captain, responded to the recent mass shootings in Texas, New York and California during a meeting hosted by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

“The last couple of days, I’ve had this cloud over me that I just can’t shake,” he said. “And not just because of a tragedy, and we’re not going to ever get used to it, but it’s happening more and more.”

He said imagining the horror the children at the Texas shooting must have felt is unimaginable and said schools must take certain precautions to keep more shootings from happening.

“How do we stop these incidents? Well, we can’t unfortunately,” he said. “We can’t stop them. We can minimize the casualties by planning and preparing and pray that we don’t have to use all our preparations.”

Preparations he recommended include securing parameters, utilizing metal detectors, being aware of exits and having security around as a first line of defense. If an active shooter is present, he said victims should run, hide or fight. 

MPD Col. Keith Watson, who also spoke at the meeting, said schools need the use of advanced technology.

“We need to have up-to-date technology, and there is technology to deal with those prohibited items and weapons,” he said. 

Such technology is used at Grizzlies games and NFL games, he said.

He added: “But it takes a wraparound approach from everyone in the community.”