Evanston police recently released an update on the March 17 situation that led to multiple schools and day care centers being placed on soft lockdowns, saying that though the person involved has not been found, authorities do not believe there’s a danger to the public.
Police said that about 11 a.m. that Friday, they responded to reports that someone who was “potentially emotionally disturbed” might have been “involved in a battery in the 900 block of Michigan Avenue” in Evanston.
Authorities said that the responding officers believed that before they had arrived, the person either left the area or returned to a unit inside the building. The person was never found, police said, but a search warrant turned up multiple firearms.
“No shots were fired,” the statement said, but due to the presence of guns and what was believed to be the person’s “emotional state,” Evanston police issued a soft lockdown for nearby Lincoln Elementary School, which was then expanded to all K-12 schools and daycares.
Police said further investigation showed that the person had made threats, but that those threats were against his “family and/or family associates, law enforcement” and himself.
Authorities said that “though police cannot rule out the possibility that the individual is in the area, [he] does not have another residence in Evanston and most of his social and family network exists outside of Evanston.”
Police said in the statement that the person’s identity is not being released and that he is “in need of care.” They said that his need for care is factoring into what further information will be released publicly.