Squirrel incident causes Boulder elementary school’s secure status
Jan 15, 2025, 4:35 PM
Douglass Elementary School in Boulder was placed on a secure status Tuesday after possible gunshots were reported in the area. It turns out that the sounds interpreted as gunshots were likely something much more warm and fuzzy – a squirrel.
The call was made to secure the school – meaning the school doors were locked, students were brought inside and classroom instruction continued – shortly after 11 a.m. The sound of gunshots near the school’s grounds, situated at North 75th Street and Baseline Road, was reported by at least one person.
According to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office’s X, formerly known as Twitter, account, sheriff’s deputies investigated the area while the school campus was secured. Boulder Valley School District’s emergency information page announced that Douglass was all clear at 12:15 p.m. once the search of the building and surrounding area was complete.
It was at 12:42 p.m. that an update was tweeted, clarifying that “deputies learned from Xcel Energy that a squirrel likely tripped a fuse near 75th and Baseline, which may have caused the reported sound.” The school was reopened and resumed normal activity shortly thereafter.
According to the sheriff’s officials, nothing criminal was discovered.
