On Friday, Shaw Elementary School went into lockdown for 30 minutes. After a false alarm, there was no weapon found on campus. According to an email from the Tampa Police Department, an adult male came to Shaw Elementary School and said he was being chased by someone with a gun. But police said, there was no one located on the campus in north Tampa or in the neighboring area. So the lockdown was lifted.
Later Friday morning, Tampa Police released more details:
At approximately 8:40 AM on Friday, October 21, 2022, A staff member at Shaw Elementary School, located at 11311 N 15th St in Tampa, observed an adult male frantically banging on the front door of the administrative building asking to be let inside. In fear, the staff member pushed her Centegix crisis alert button, which all school employees wear daily, prompting a lockdown. The individual, later identified as James Oscar Williams, 44, was told to leave school property.
Williams instead ran to a separate school entrance, attempting to get inside, then he jumped a fence onto school property next to the door. A Hillsborough County Schools Security Officer came in contact with Williams, intercepting his attempts to get any further.
In talking with Williams, he claimed a man was chasing him with a gun.
Williams had cuts on his hands and a small amount of blood on his t-shirt, which he said came from jumping the fence of a nearby home as he fled the alleged suspect.Tampa Police searched the surrounding area and school property for the alleged suspect. No one matching the description provided by Williams was located, no sounds of gunshots were ever reported, and there is no indication that a weapon was ever on campus.
Williams was arrested for trespassing on school property and may face a mental health evaluated as well.
The lockdown at Shaw Elementary was lifted after less than an hour. A photo of the Centegix system used by the school staff member to alert law enforcement of the incident is included, along with a previous booking photo of Williams.
PIO Crystal Clark
Public Information Office
Tampa Police Department
