Tension ran high Tuesday morning in Fairfax, resulting in a rapid police response and a school placed on lockdown.
Around 9:30 a.m., Fairfax County police received reports of shots being fired in the 5400 block of Ruby Drive. Since that is in the vicinity of Willow Springs Elementary, the school administration was immediately notified and, from 9:40 a.m. until 12:10 p.m., Willow Springs was locked down.
Morning kindergartners were held until the situation ended, and afternoon kindergarten was cancelled. All of the students were safe, and no one was injured.
"We dispatched several units to the school, just as a precaution," said police spokesman Bud Walker. "At no point did we ever think the school was involved or that the incident had anything to do with the school."
Meanwhile, officers also responded to the area where the shots were heard and conducted an extensive search. Officers fanned out on foot, and the county police helicopter assisted from the air, looking up and down nearby Braddock Road for anything or anyone suspicious or injured.
"Once we got on scene, we were not able to find a victim," said Walker. "However, we found evidence on the street that a weapon had been fired." Not wishing to jeopardize the investigation, though, he declined to offer specifics about what, exactly, police found.
So far, a victim hasn't materialized. It's mandatory that hospitals notify police about any shooting victims who come to them seeking treatment. But in this case, said Walker, "We've not heard about any."
Walker said police take reports of shootings "very seriously" and respond to them aggressively. As for Tuesday's incident, he said, "We do have leads, and the investigation continues."
Anyone with information about the incident or anyone who may be involved in it is asked to call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477 or police at 703-691-2131.