Luray: Why were residents told by police to shelter in place on Friday?

Page County residents were alerted on Friday to a situation happening near Luray’s elementary and middle schools.

At 5:56 p.m., residents received the following computerized voice mail message from the Code Red emergency system:

“Isolated incident on Terrace Lane. Law enforcement is on location. There is no risk to the public. Shelter in place.”

For several hours, Terrace Lane and nearby cross-streets were closed to traffic as law enforcement from several agencies converged on the area. The ongoing sound of sirens and muffled megaphone commands asking a male subject to “turn on the lights” could be heard several streets away. Ambulances arrived as if on standby.

Parents of Page County Public School students soon received the following text message:

“PCPS has been alerted to an ongoing police situation near Luray Elementary and Luray Middle. While the situation is contained and there is not an immediate threat to any students or staff on campus we are making parents, guardians and staff aware. Students at practice this afternoon are being kept indoors and will be monitored at pick-up. Luray Freshman Youth Cheer is moving to Ralph Dean Park. All other evening events have been canceled at Luray Middle and Luray Elementary.”

After this, no other official information was provided.

Nearing midnight on Friday, many Luray residents were left asking (via social media) if it was safe to go out “yet,” with some asking why they were advised to shelter in place if there was no risk to the general public.

At 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, the Code Red system sent an automated voice mail that simply said, “Shelter in place lifted for Terrace Lane area.”

There have been no statements about the incident released by the Page County Sheriff’s Office or the Luray Police Department via their respective websites or social media.