YUMA, AZ - As much as police tried to keep parents calm, emotionally it was very hard for them to wait patiently while three local schools were in lockdown. All they could think about was hugging their kids.
Hundreds of parents lined the street for blocks along Avenue C. All of them nervous and driven by fear even though police tried to comfort some of them by briefing the media to get the word out that a gun had not been found.
However, police had to take extra precautions in locking down two other nearby schools including Salida Del Sol Elementary School and WACOG Preschool.
As they waited, parents then began to turn to each other for more comfort.
Finally after four hours, police lifted the lockdown. Meanwhile school officials started bussing most students to H.L. Suverkrup School to organize an orderly pick-up.
For parents, their worst fears quickly turned to relief, followed by hugs and kisses.
"Just hug him and just be happy that they're ok, that it was just a false alarm," cried Crystal Mireles, a mother of a Rancho Viejo Student.
"Relieved now, we're going home and sit down with them. Try to figure out what she knows and what she thinks is going on," said Ruben Esperanza, after picking up his two kids from school.
"She's already talking that police went in there, they told her to put her hands behind her head," said Zuri Salazar about what her daughter witnessed.
Again, while police did not find a gun, they tell KSWT News 13 officers take all threats seriously.
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