Police officers on Tuesday evening swarmed a Riverside elementary school classroom and shot a parent who had taken a teacher hostage, ending an hours-long standoff.
The teacher, identified as Linda Montgomery, was taken to a hospital for a precautionary evaluation, Riverside Unified officials told reporters at the scene. Television footage showed the man being taken away from the school on a stretcher, but details about his condition were not available. [It has since been reported that the man, 27-year-old Luvelle Kennon, died at the hospital.]
Officers entered the room about 6 p.m., roughly seven hours after the man forced his way past staff in the main office at Castle View Elementary School, Riverside Unified spokesman Justin Grayson said. The shooting occurred shortly after. It’s unclear if the man was armed, but witnesses did not report seeing any weapons.
Officials canceled classes at the elementary school for the rest of the week.
When the parent arrived on campus, he got into a confrontation with a teacher, said Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback. The parent did not appear to follow the school district’s safety procedures and check in with the front desk, he added.
The parent was confronted by a male teacher and the parent hit that teacher in the face, Railsback said. A witness told KABC that the teacher’s face was bloodied and his nose was broken. The teacher was treated at a nearby hospital, police said.
The parent then went into an empty classroom and took a female teacher hostage, police said. The door to the classroom was blocked with the parent and a female teacher inside for hours.
Police evacuated all students from the campus and began releasing them to their parents after 1 p.m. All students were accounted for, Grayson said.
Smoke was briefly seen coming out of the room, but Railsback said he didn’t have any information about the smoke. It did not appear to be toxic, he said.
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