All clear after brief lockdowns at three New Hanover Co. schools

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — With a heightened sense of security since Friday’s school shooting in Connecticut, three New Hanover County schools went on brief lockdowns today in two separate incidents.

Codington Elementary on Carolina Beach Road was locked down briefly around lunchtime after someone reported hearing gunshots. The lockdown at lasted just a few minutes. A New Hanover County Sheriff’s spokesman says investigators determined the sounds of shots came from training at the Wilmington Police Departments firing range, which is about half a mile away off River Road.

Then around 2:15 p.m., officials locked down Laney High School and Trask Middle School on N. College Road after reports of gunshots in an adjoining neighborhood. The lockdown ended about 15 minutes later. Investigators say the shots were from “wildlife hunters in the area” and that there was no threat to either school.