Several schools were secured this morning after a report of shots fired in the Buckingham neighborhood near Ballston.
It happened just before 9:15 a.m. At least two 911 callers reported hearing gunfire and seeing a group of teens running from the area, according to scanner traffic.
“ACPD is investigating the report of shots heard in the area of N. Carlin Springs Road and N. Glebe Road,” Arlington County police said via social media around 10:15 a.m. “At this time, no injuries have been reported and no evidence of shots being fired have been located.”
An ARLnow reporter saw officers gathered near the intersection of N. Carlin Springs Road and N. Park Drive.
The possible gunfire prompted two schools — Washington-Liberty High School and Barrett Elementary School — to be placed on “secure-the-building status,” which “has since been lifted,” police said.
“Police remain on scene investigating,” said ACPD.
The email about the incident sent to W-L families by Arlington Public Schools is below.
Due to police activity in the vicinity of these two schools, as a precaution, we have placed Washington-Liberty HS and Barrett Elementary in Secure-the-Building* status. There is no immediate threat; however, this status is due to police activity in the community.
This means that all doors are locked, and no one can leave or enter the building as a precaution.
*What is the Secure-the-Building Status?
This action is activated when there is a reported threat or hazard outside of the school building. Secure uses the security of the physical facility to act as protection. During Secure, all students and staff are brought into the secure building and all exterior doors are locked. Classes continue uninterrupted inside the building.
Arlington County police released more information about the incident Thursday afternoon, noting that a gun was indeed fired from a car that then fled the area.
SHOT FIRED, 2025-04300059, N. Carlin Springs Road at N. Glebe Road. At approximately 9:12 a.m. on April 30, police were dispatched to multiple reports of a shot heard in the area. The preliminary investigation indicates the suspect discharged a firearm from a white sedan before fleeing the scene. No injuries were reported. Responding officers canvassed the area for the suspect yielding negative results. The investigation is ongoing, and detectives are actively following up on leads in the case.
