'Anxiety and fear' after ammunition found in bathroom prompts lockdown at Milton school

MILTON – The discovery of a live round of ammunition in a bathroom led to a lockdown of Pierce Middle School on Friday, officials said.

A search of the building turned up two more rounds of ammunition, also in bathrooms of the school, which has more than 900 students in grades 6-8.

In a Facebook post Friday, Milton police said the lockdown began after "an unspent 9mm round was discovered in a bathroom just after 10 a.m. this morning."

Pierce Middle School in Milton was locked down Friday, June 10, after an unspent round of ammunition was found inside the building.
Pierce Middle School in Milton was locked down Friday, June 10, after an unspent round of ammunition was found inside the building.

In a letter to parents, School Superintendent James Jette said the round was found in a second-floor bathroom sink.

Milton police officers  went to the school, and ballistic dogs from the Boston and Quincy police departments were brought in to  search the building, Jette said.

The two additional ammunition rounds were found in two other bathrooms, he said.

The lockdown was changed to stay-in-place status at about 1 p.m., he said.

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Jette thanked the police who responded to the incident. He also thanked the students and staff at Pierce "for how they conducted themselves during this highly stressful situation. Everyone followed the protocol we have in place for these emergency situations."

And he thanked parents, guardians and the community for their cooperation.

"I know how much anxiety and fear these situations evoke along with the need to know exact details," Jette wrote. "Our number one priority is the safety of students and staff in the building."

Pierce Middle School briefly went into lockdown Dec. 8, 2021, after a student mistook a staff member's cellphone charger as a weapon. That lockdown lasted about half an hour.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Milton's Pierce Middle School locked down after ammunition found