School lockdown scare caused by man with nailgun
By KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
Monday, Dec. 10, 2007
Manchester – Several hundred students were locked inside West Side schools for about an hour todayas police combed the area for a reported gunman.
Police later determined the man was a construction worker, and that the object in his hand, at first believed to be a rifle, was actually a nail gun.
"The detectives are sure," Capt. Rick Reilly said last night. "Based on the time of day and the descriptions, it's all consistent."
The scare prompted a lock-down at three city schools: Parkside Middle School, Gossler Elementary School and Manchester High School West. Police described the order as a "precautionary measure."
A man later told police he may have caused the scare while walking to his Rimmon Street home from a construction site near Parkside Middle School. He was carrying a Hitachi NR83 Nailer, police said.
Reilly said the man called the police after the incident made the 6 p.m. news broadcast.
"The guy did the right thing," Reilly said.
Police described the caller as "very forthcoming." No charges are expected, although Reilly said detectives will probably follow up with witnesses tomorrow.
The scare began around 1:11 p.m., when two Parkside Middle School students said they saw a man walking past the school with what appeared to be a rifle, police said. The incident was immediately reported to the school resource officer.
"I do applaud the children for being attentive to their surroundings and reporting their suspicions," Reilly said. "Obviously, this had a favorable ending."
Police searched the area for an hour but found no trace of the man, Capt. James Kinney said.
Students at the three schools were dismissed on time, shortly after 2 p.m., under the supervision of police officers, Kinney said.
Police put out a description this afternoon, casting the reported gunman as a white male in his 30s, wearing a black knit hat, a black hooded sweatshirt, and blue jeans.
