Police have confirmed at least one shot was fired, forcing two Tauranga schools and their distressed students into emergency lockdowns this morning.
Staff and students at primary school Bellevue School, Otumoetai College and a nearby childcare centre were put into a "lockdown" after reports of a firearms incident at 8.45am in Tauranga.
A parent told the Bay of Plenty Times his daughter had texted him at 9.27am from Otumoetai College and said "Dad we are in lockdown and have been for a while. There is a school shooting.
"A Year 10 student had spread rumours that she is going to start a shooting."
However police today said that there was no connection between the call out today and the rumoured threat.
Police say they are speaking to one person following a report of a firearm being discharged in the Bellevue area.
"Bellevue Primary went into voluntary lockdown but that has since been lifted. Police are not looking for anyone else."
Jason Hornett, whose children attend Bellevue School and live near its entrance, said he heard a gunshot.
He thought it was a car hitting another car but when "shells" hit the top of his roof he realised what was happening.
Gabrielle Sharland was walking up the hill to Bellevue School when she heard what she said sounded like gunshots.
"I heard a gunshot go off," she said.
Sharland said she had dropped her seven-year-old daughter to Bellevue School when she heard the principal over a loud speaker warning parents to go into the classrooms.
"We were locked in the classrooms trying to keep the kids safe, reading them books,"she said.
She admitted she was worried about her children after the lockdown.
However she said the teachers handled the situation well.
"The teachers had them well secured, it was really good."
Bellevue School principal Dave Bell said the school had been alerted to an incident that happened outside the school grounds but on its boundary.
A lockdown for staff and students was ordered, with everyone told to go inside immediately.
"It was before school, before the bell rang and we followed all procedures," Bell said.
"Our procedures are that it is indicated we are going into lockdown, all staff and students go inside and lock the doors.
"They are to remain out of sight until we got the call it was all clear."
The Ministry of Education would provide a help line and counselling to anyone who needed it, Bell said.
A student at Otumoetai College said there was a mixed feeling among students and "there are people here really scared and stressed out" during the lockdown.
"We're just trying to stay calm."
The student said no one really knew what was going on.
"[Teachers] have just said 'this is not a drill'. That's all we've been told so far."
Montessori Otumoetai also went into lockdown, but centre manager Shamima Khanikar said it had all been lifted now.
"We have kept all the children in so far, but I just heard that it's all lifted and all the sirens that we were hearing have stopped as well. But we are still inside."
She said staff took all the children inside and contacted the parents. Some parents chose to take their children home.
"It was a little bit scary for us but I think everybody stood up – all the teachers, and we gave clear instruction to all the children about what we're going to do, we didn't say what's happening but we just let them know that if a teacher shouts it's an emergency, this the place we're all going to go."
Khanikar said they came to know about the incident from parents, who also had children at the nearby schools and college.
