In Stamford on Friday, police explained the circumstances surrounding an elementary school lockdown that took place around 1:00pm.
School administrators from Davenport Elementary School on Newfield Avenue had noticed a suspicious man on the school campus and immediately initiated a lockdown.
This in turn prompted an immediate response from the Stamford Police Dept Patrol Division.
Stamford Police Units arrived within 3 minutes, and detained a man, later identified as Jamar Mikel Edwards, 31, of Charlotte, North Carolina.
School administrators relayed that they observed the man exit a CT Transit bus and start walking towards the school. CT Transit uses the school driveway as a turn around.
Edwards, who appeared disoriented, then attempted to open the front door, but was prevented because the doors were locked. He rang the buzzer and spoke to the office staff, saying he had keys to drop off, and that he was looking for a job. At no point was he let in or gained access.
A decision to lockdown was initiated and this started the police response.
Edwards has a pending case with the Ct State Police from an arrest on I-95 two days earlier.
Due to his confused mental state he was taken to Stamford Hospital for a mental health evaluation.
He was additionally arrested and charged with Criminal Trespass 1st degree for his activity on the school grounds.
Police say the reasoning for being on the school grounds is ongoing.
“In light of the recent tragedies in Texas and in Buffalo, we want to highlight this incident,” said Stamford Police’s Captain Diedrich Hohn in the release. “The administrator and school staff of Davenport School did everything right to keep the staff and students safe from harm.:
“We can never take safety for granted,” Hohn added. “Today, we want to highlight how, if you see something / say something, and how important it is to follow the schools safety and infrastructure security procedures, to ensure everyone’s safety.”