Columbia middle school locks down after report of shots

COLUMBIA — Lange Middle School was locked down for 20 minutes Tuesday morning after school officials received reports of shots fired nearby. Derby Ridge Elementary School, also in the vicinity, was not locked down, Principal Michael Schooley said, after police officers in the area told him it was unnecessary. At Lange, classes resumed as usual after the doors were locked at 9:40 a.m., school officials said.

This is not the only lockdown Columbia Public Schools has experienced in 2007. A bomb threat at Hickman High School caused a 20-minute lockdown in August, and in April, four Columbia schools were locked down after the fatal shooting of a teen in south Columbia.