Shots Fired Outside Opelousas School Send It Into Lockdown

An Opelousas magnet school was sent into lockdown Thursday morning after shots were fired near its campus.

The Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts (MACA) went into lockdown after shots rang out somewhere in the neighborhoods near the school, close enough that the shots could be heard in the school. Although the threat had left the area, the school remained in lockdown, according to Opelousas police chief Martin McLendon.

"The school is in lockdown for safety reasons," McLendon told KPEL. "But there is no active threat against the school."

It's the latest in a series of threats that have impacted local schools. The Lafayette Parish School System has had to deal with multiple threats this week, including a Comeaux student who allegedly threatened to bring a gun to school.

There are no reported injuries at MACA or in the surrounding area at this time. It is not clear who or what the shots were being fired at.