Advertisement Damian Johnson arrested after lockdown at Manchester high school Police, school officals are pleased with response Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A man has been arrested in connection after a lockdown was placed at Manchester High School West on Thursday morning.Click to watch News 9's coverage.Police arrested Damian Johnson, 21, and charged him with falsifying physical evidence, probation violation, criminal trespassing and disturbing school in session. Police said they found Johnson in a third-floor classroom and found a pellet gun and a knife in his bag.Click to view photos from the scene.Police added that Johnson did not belong in the school, but he was a former student at West High School.Click to watch raw video of the news conference.According to authorities, the lockdown was placed at 8 a.m. after a 16-year-old student reported seeing Johnson enter the school with what looked like a gun tucked into his waistband.Click to view raw video of the man being taken into custody.During the lockdown, officers searched the building, going from classroom to classroom.The lockdown was lifted around 9:40 a.m.Police said they are investigating why Johnson entered the school and why he had the pellet gun and knife.Police also said no threats were made and all of the school's students were safe."There is nothing in our investigation at this time to indicate he had any intent to do anything with what he had, but it's ongoing," said Police Chief David Mara. "So we want to know why did he come to the school and why did he have those items."While police investigate how Johnson gained entry to the school, school spokeswoman Andrea Alley said the front door is unlocked from 7-7:55 a.m. That's when students arrive, and some get breakfast. After that, the bell rings, and the doors lock.Mayor Ted Gatsas said it is nearly impossible to safeguard against someone coming in with students, who won't always recognize whether another person is a student."Its not an easy discussion to have because school is supposed to be one of the safest places you can send your child," Gatsas said. While an incident like this hasn't happened at a Manchester school before, Gatsas says staff were ready to deal with it."The outcome is what everybody would want," he said.The school's superintendent said officials are in the process of purchasing a system to send notifications to parents of students. Police and school officials said all security procedures were followed well during the incident."We are pleased that every child is safe and we couldn't be more pleased with everyone's response," Manchester School Superintendent, Debra Livingston, said.As word of the lockdown spread, parents went to the school, searching for information. Many said their children were keeping in touch with them through text messages and social media.Many students said they thought the lockdown was just a drill, but they soon realized it was a real situation, and they needed to closely follow safety their procedures. Some said they hid under desks or crowded into a safe corner, which is a corner of the room that can't be seen from the door.When the lockdown was lifted, parents said they could breathe again. There were tears of joy and relief that everyone was OK."I'm just happy it's over and just kind of shaken up about it," said junior Ashton Godbois. "So this is the first time something like this has ever been real, like I've been in a real lockdown."Police said Johnson has faced several charges from 2011-2014, including simple assault, stalking, disorderly conduct, receiving stolen property, burglary and probation violations.Gov. Maggie Hassan released a statement about the incident:"On behalf of the people of New Hampshire, I thank police and first responders for their swift and effective response to this morning's situation at Manchester High School West. In the face of a dangerous situation, their actions ensured that our students and educators were safe from harm, and I am deeply grateful that the situation ended peacefully."