Active Shooter Call at Crest Middle and High School

Shelby, NC (WNN) - This morning at approximately 8:10 AM, March 16, 2026, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office received a call for an active shooter at Crest High School. Both Crest High and Middle schools were immediately placed on lockdown while police responded to the threat. At this time, the sheriff’s office and schools have both released statements saying no injuries were reported. Crest High School commends staff and students for an excellent job following safety procedures. While students are allowed to be picked up today, the faculty encourages allowing students to complete the rest of the school day as normal.

At 8:59 AM, officers completed their sweep of the schools, and at 9:14 AM, they declared the middle school fully cleared. At this time, parents had gathered outside the school on the tennis courts, with the roads surrounding the school blocked by EMS and fire trucks. They were asked to go to the Gardner-Webb LYCC until the schools could be cleared and students were taken off lockdown.

 Investigators are currently attempting to trace the source of the call, and a suspicious individual has also been reported in the area. The person in question was first reported on Cedarhill Drive, a road in a community directly beside Crest High School. They were described as a Hispanic male wearing a black shirt and a baseball cap. He was said to be seen hiding in the tree line behind the caller's home at approximately 8:50.

In relation to this, at approximately 9:15 AM, an assault call was made at 1400 Briarcliff Road. The assailant was a male potentially matching the earlier description, with police dispatch believing it could be related to the other suspicious person. At 9:33 AM, the roads were cleared, and the lockdown was fully lifted, with parents allowed to pick up students as traffic returned to normal.

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