Man seen with rifle causes lockdown at Juneau school

Published 5:30 am Thursday, September 10, 2026

A Juneau school was placed on temporary lockdown Wednesday after a man was seen carrying a rifle.

The Juneau Police Department received a report shortly after 8 a.m. Sept. 9 of an adult man who had parked near the Dzantik’i Heeni Optional Programs building on Renninger Street and walked into the woods near the playground carrying a rifle.

“Out of an abundance of caution, school administrators immediately initiated emergency protocols and placed the campus into a temporary lockdown,” according to a release from Juneau police. “JPD officers responded to the area, searched the surrounding trails, identified the man, and investigated the circumstances.”

Police say their investigation determined that the man had entered the woods to hunt and that there was no threat to the school, students, or staff.

After JPD cleared the situation, the lockdown was lifted and normal school operations resumed.