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10-minute lockdown at Suffolk Community College after gun scare

VERA CHINESE FILE PHOTO | The Montaukett Learning Resource Center at the Suffolk County Community College Eastern Campus in Northampton.

Suffolk County Community College’s Eastern Campus was briefly locked down Friday morning after police received a call about a man with a gun in the area, officials said.

State police, Southampton Town police and Suffolk County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report about 9 a.m. of a man spotted on the shoulder of County Road 51 armed with a shotgun, said state police Sgt. Paul Slevinski.

The college was locked down for about 10 minutes while police investigated, officials said, but neither police officers nor campus security found any signs of the reported man.

“It was somewhat by the college, but by the time our patrols and their patrols got there, there was nothing,” Sgt. Slevinski said.

The school went into a “secure-in-place” mode at 9:26 a.m., said college associate dean for institutional advancement Drew Fawcett. Within two minutes the campus was secure, he said.

“It wasn’t very long, but we were able to act in a timely and a responsible manner,” he said. “It’s better to be safe and to act accordingly as a precaution.”

The school also used campus messaging to broadcast information on digital signs and school computers.

Mr. Fawcett said the school was given the all-clear at 9:37 a.m.

“After that, the lockdown was cleared and classes and campus life went on as its going on now,” he said.

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