Report of armed person at Columbia High School turns out to be JROTC student with drill rifle

COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — A report of an armed person on the campus of Columbia High School on Thursday morning turned out to be a JROTC student with a non-functioning drill rifle, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies responded to the campus, which was locked down after the report of an armed person came in.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

CCSO updated its Facebook page at 9:10 a.m. saying that the student had the “non-functioning drill rifle which is used for ceremonial purposes.”

The agency shared pictures on Facebook of what the non-functioning rifle looked like to help the community understand the “large law enforcement response.”

“The student had taken the rifle home to practice and brought it back to school this morning. As you can see, this would be a concerning sight to someone who does not know that information. Another student saw this and immediately reported the concern. We commend that student for their actions,” CCSO said in part.

Deputies said after the investigation, the campus was secure and was resuming normal operations for the day.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.