Lockdown lifted at Virginia elementary school after reported shooting on campus

A lockdown was lifted at a Waynesboro elementary school in western Virginia this afternoon after reports of a shooting there Thursday morning, three weeks after the school year began.

Multiple media outlets reported a shooting occurred inside Westwood Hills Elementary School and that at least one adult was transported for emergency assistance before 11 a.m. The Waynesboro Police Department responded to the “critical incident” at the school along with other response teams, including the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office.

Waynesboro police said the school division reunited students and families at Westminster Presbyterian Church, located at 1904 Mt. Vernon Street in Waynesboro.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger posted on social media Wednesday morning that she is monitoring the situation. 

“My heart is with these young students, their parents and families, and the teachers and staff at the school,” Spanberger posted. “Thank you to the first responders who are assisting at the scene.” 

The reported shooting is the latest on k-12 school property since a summer shooting at an Arlington middle school in July. In 2023,  a then-6-year-old student brought a firearm from home to his Newport News elementary school and shot his teacher.

Around noon, Waynesboro Public Schools said the lockdown was lifted and all students from Westwood have been released to their parents and guardians, and law enforcement remains out of an abundance of caution.  

“Again, all students, staff, and teachers are safe.”

This story is ongoing and will be updated as more information becomes available.