Cocoa Man Shooting BB-Gun at Squirrels Triggers Lockdown of Cambridge Elementary School

By Space Coast Daily // November 16, 2017

squirrels were getting inside resident's attic

Cocoa Police say a report of a man armed with a rifle outside a home triggered a tactical police response that briefly closed off neighborhood streets and put a nearby elementary school in a precautionary lockdown.

BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA, FLORIDA – Cocoa Police say a report of a man armed with a rifle outside a home triggered a tactical police response that briefly closed off neighborhood streets and put a nearby elementary school in a precautionary lockdown.

According to Cocoa Police, a call came around 8:37 a.m. reporting a man was seen pointing a rifle at a home in the 1200 block of Yale Lane.

Cocoa Police officers immediately responded and searched the area, however, a gunman was not located.

As a precaution, the street was blocked off and officers secured a perimeter around the area.

Cambridge Elementary School, two blocks from the reported sighting, was immediately placed in lockdown by school officials for the safety of students, teachers and staff.

Cocoa patrol officers and detectives working with a crime analyst began to gather information about the reported address where the man was seen with the gun.

After around 90-minutes, officers were able to get the resident inside the home to exit without incident. The resident stated he had a BB-gun and was trying to get rid of problem squirrels that were getting inside his attic.

The scene was then cleared and the school lockdown was lifted.

“We responded the way were trained and it turned out not to be a threat,” said Detective Debra Titkanich.

“The citizen absolutely did the right thing in calling. We want people to immediately report suspicious activity so we can make sure everything is safe. If they don’t and this had turned out to be something more, not reporting it could have had a different outcome that could have potentially been tragic.”