Fake 'Nerf' toy gun causes six-hour lock down at Long Island high school as panicked 911 callers report gunman



Terrified students at a Long Island high school were trapped in their classrooms during a six-hour lock-down after a student carrying a toy gun was mistaken for a real weapon.

At around 7.40 a.m. a 911 caller reported that they had seen a teenage male carrying a gun and a backpack near to Elmont High School in Nassau County and police responded by sending SWAT teams and the bomb squad.

Thoroughly searching every bag, student and locker, police said that they discovered the source of the panic - a lime green and yellow 'Nerf' gun that a student had brought into school that day.

Relief: Family members wait in line to pick up students after a lockdown was lifted at Elmont Memorial High School in Elmont, New York

Police searched three floors, room by room, before determining the school was safe. The lockdown was lifted shortly before 1 p.m. Police later said in a press release that a toy lime green Nerf lever-action gun was found in a student's locker. No arrests were made.

One student, Junior Koiki told the New York Daily News that some students were physically searched by Nassua County Police.

Terrified: The Long Island school is returned to normal after a report of a gun prompted an hours-long lockdown

A heavily armored vehicle drives in front of Elmont Memorial High School during a lockdown in Elmont, New York

'My teacher kept the class calm. They (cops) didn't pat the girls down, they patted the guys down. The female teachers patted the girls,' she said.



'We just sat in our first period until the lockdown was over,' she said, adding that she wasn't afraid. 'They didn't really tell us anything,' she said.



Parents concerned over last month's mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school that left 20 first-graders and six educators dead raced to the scene to be reunited with their children. A line of about 50 or more parents formed outside the school.

Another student, Jonothon Davis, described the panicked scene as the police SWAT teams arrived.

A 'Nerf Gun' - similar to the one which was the cause of the school lockdown at Elmont High School in Nassau County

Parents and family members wait across the street from Elmont Memorial High School for information about the lockdown and to pick up their children

'This has been very traumatic for everyone,' Principal John Capozzi said. 'If your child needs to talk to someone, don't hesitate,' he said.

'There was like a lot of screaming. The teachers said be quiet," Davis said. "Once I saw people running and screaming I knew I had to get out of there.'

'This is really scary,' said Norman Spencer, who arrived at the school on the New York City border to pick up his son Darien. 'We've seen numerous reports regarding issues like this, but when it happens here, it touches home.'



Darien Spencer said an announcement came over the public address system that the school was in lockdown, and students remained calm throughout the incident.



'At no time were any of your children in danger,' Principal John Capozzi told the parents. 'All your children are safe.'

'This has been very traumatic for everyone.