Lake Central H.S. Students Return To School, A Day After False Alarm About Active Shooter

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Students at Lake Central High School returned to class Thursday morning in St. John, Indiana, a day after reports of an active shooter on campus turned out to be unfounded.

Two students thought they heard someone loading a gun in a bathroom at the school Wednesday morning, setting off a large police response.

Authorities found no shooter, and no gun, but the building was locked down for hours as officers conducted a thorough search of the campus.

Students were picked up by buses and their parents after the school got the all-clear.

"I'd rather be safe than sorry. I wish it would have been dispatched a little bit different, because we were all going there thinking that people are getting shot, and that wasn't the case; but, absolutely, if kids see something wrong, they need to report it - whether it's to us or the school administration - immediately," St. John Police Chief Steve Flores said.

The police chief also said the student who called 911 did the right thing by reporting what he thought could have been a gun.