Possible gunman puts schools in lockout

TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) - Authorities take every threat seriously, especially when it involves a man with a gun not far from schools. After Town of Tonawanda Police received a phone call from a concerned citizen, Ken-Ton schools went into lockout.

On Monday, a customer walking out of the Tim Horton's store at Colvin and Highland told authorities he thought he saw a man with a black handgun.

Lt. Nick Bado said, "And when they passed each other in the parking lot the guy said, 'Lock and load.'"

Thinking it was strange, the customer called the police. Police looked at the store's surveillance video and may have recognized the individual. They're following up on that lead.

"If there is somebody with a gun, of course we don't want them going to a school. But they could be going to a workplace. They could be going to a private home. Who knows what could be the target," Lt. Bado said.

Police describe the man as white between 60- and 70-years-old with a white beard. The suspect is 5'10" and was wearing a gray sweatshirt, jeans and a baseball cap.

Police notified the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda school district and as a precaution, some nearby schools were placed in "lockout," which means individuals trying to gain entry into the schools would not be allowed.

Michael Velarde, a parent, said, "I actually drove by to make sure nothing was going on. My kids are in here so I needed to check it out."

"It's a terrible thing that you have to make sure every day that your child's protected. The school's have to be locked down for things like this. It's just terrible," added Carol Black.

Authorities want to locate the individual to see if the threat was credible or just a misunderstanding.

Lt. Bado said, "A guy that looks like, even remotely that he's carrying a weapon, uttering things, lock and load, they're red flags, and we can no longer afford to brush those under the rug."

At this point, police don't think they were dealing with an actual threat but say there's still some follow-up work that needs to be.

The Ken-Ton school district sent out emails and text alerts to parents about the situation.