DENVER — A soccer game at Castro Elementary School in Denver Thursday night turned chaotic after a man with a BB gun was spotted by the fence.
“He says he's going to kill everybody, he's going to shoot everybody, he's going to kill the kids. I looked, I see the gun,” said one mother who was there for her child's game and didn’t want to be identified. “I told my kids, 'Run.' I ran down that field and started screaming, 'Go! Run! There's a gun! Run!' Everyone started running. People started calling police right away."
Officers with the Denver Police Department arrived, but parents told Denver7 the response wasn't quick enough.
“When we asked him why this wasn't a quick response, you guys took 25 minutes to get here, he said there's no police officers,” the mother said.
Denver police told Denver7 someone from the school called dispatch at 5:26 p.m. The first officer was dispatched at 5:33 p.m., and arrived at Castro Elementary at 5:38 p.m., the department said. In total, five officers responded, DPD said.
Officers detained the suspect a few blocks away near Kentucky and Irving and found a BB gun on his person, Denver police said.
In a letter to parents, Principal Gilberto Muñoz thanked authorities for their "quick and professional response" and said parents can contact him with any questions or concerns.
Castro Families,
It is our priority to keep you informed of incidents related to student and school safety. This evening, it was reported that there was a man on our property with a gun. DPD and DPS Safety were immediately contacted. As a result, we were put into a secured perimeter. No one was directly threatened. Members of the Department of Safety and Denver police are investigating the situation and have determined that the weapon that was seen was a BB gun.
A secured perimeter is when there is a threat or hazard outside of the school building. To ensure safety, no one will be allowed to enter or leave the building unless authorized by authorities. The secure perimeter remains in place until the area outside of the building is safe.
As a reminder to students, parents, and community alike, it is never OK to bring weapons of any kind – real or fake – onto school property. Please take this opportunity to review safety messages with your students and encourage them to always report anything that doesn’t seem right.
We are grateful for the quick and professional response from the DPS Department of Safety and the Denver Police Department. As always, feel free to contact me directly with any questions or concerns.
In partnership.
Gilberto Muñoz
Principal
Parents told Denver7 they're not satisfied with the way Muñoz handled the situation.
"They didn't even go out there to see if the kids were okay, but you could write a letter saying nobody was threatened,” the mother said. "My daughter's been up all night sleeping next to me, crying in her sleep."
Denver police say the suspect is being held on an outstanding warrant but couldn't share what the warrant is for.
This is an ongoing investigation, according to DPD. No charges have been filed at this time.