Fortuna Police Department release: 

Today, Friday September 8, 2023 at approximately 9:00 am Fortuna Police Department received a report that a juvenile student would be bringing a handgun to school at Eel River Community School in Fortuna. Officers responded to Eel River Community School coordinated with the school to detain the juvenile upon their arrival.

At approximately 9:22 am the suspected juvenile student arrived in the parking lot of Eel River Community School and was met by officers. The handgun was located, seized and the juvenile is currently in custody.

As a precautionary measure Walker Elementary School due to its close proximity to Eel River School was put into a soft lockdown for a little over ten minutes. It should be noted that there was no information regarding a direct threat to Walker Elementary School. The lockdown was precautionary, as we all take the safety of our students and school staff very seriously.