Update 12:44 p.m.
The lockdown of three Grapevine-Colleyville ISD schools has been lifted, and local police have revealed that their investigation was elicited by a bomb threat against the town’s nearby synagogue.
Colleyville’s police department had responded to the area after receiving reports that a bomb threat had been emailed to a member of security for the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue. DFW’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit was also deployed, and a search of the scene by its K9s did not uncover any explosives.
Out of precaution, the Synagogue was evacuated and nearby schools were placed in Secure mode. Our local partners with the DFW EOD Unit responded to the scene. EOD K9s conducted a thorough exterior search and interior search of the property and did not locate any ordinances.
— Colleyville Police (@ColleyvillePD) April 26, 2024
Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue has already been the target of a terrorist attack — in 2022, as The Dallas Express reported at the time.
GCISD first announced the lockdown just after 11:30 a.m. on Friday, though the reasoning behind the precaution was initially unclear.
We will keep our community informed once we have additional updates from the Colleyville Police Department.
— Grapevine-Colleyville ISD (@GCISD) April 26, 2024
Shortly afterward, the Colleyville Police Department posted on social media regarding its investigation and noting it had placed Colleyville Elementary and Middle schools and Bridges Accelerated Learning Center into “Secure mode.”
CPD is conducting an investigation in the 6100 blk of Pleasant Run. As a precaution, we have placed the following schools in Secure mode: Colleyville Elementary, Colleyville Middle, and Bridges/VISTA/PDEC.
We will update this thread with more information as it becomes available.— Colleyville Police (@ColleyvillePD) April 26, 2024
The lockdown remained in place as police investigated the area surrounding the synagogue.
CES, CMS & Bridges/Vista/PDEC remain in a “Secure” due to an ongoing police investigation in the 6100 block of Pleasant Run. Please do not come to any of these facilities. Students and staff remain inside the building and are conducting business as usual. https://t.co/rlNYIcYu49
— Grapevine-Colleyville ISD (@GCISD) April 26, 2024
Slightly under an hour later, Colleyville PD released the schools from lockdown after determining the area was clear.
Update 12:44 p.m.: Colleyville PD has released the “Secure” for Colleyville Elementary, Colleyville Middle, and Bridges/Vista/PDEC. They have concluded their investigation and determined that the area is clear to resume normal activity. https://t.co/beF0RAIEXU
— Grapevine-Colleyville ISD (@GCISD) April 26, 2024
All school activities will now resume and visitors are welcome.
— Grapevine-Colleyville ISD (@GCISD) April 26, 2024
12:18 p.m.
Several Grapevine-Colleyville ISD schools are under lockdown while authorities respond to an apparent situation at Colleyville Synagogue, the scene of a hostage situation in 2022.
Colleyville police ordered the lockdown of several schools Friday just before noon, with Colleyville Elementary, Colleyville Middle, and Bridges/Vista/PDEC still “in a ‘Secure'” as of press time.
Authorities are investigating a situation in the 6100 block of Pleasant Run, where the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue is located. This was the scene of an 11-hour standoff with a gunman, Malik Faisal Akram, in a hostage situation involving four people. The incident remains burned in the memories of the local community, as previously covered in The Dallas Express.
The past two weeks have seen a string of violent incidents at Dallas-Fort Worth area schools, one of which led to the death of an 18-year-old student named Etavion Barnes at Bowie High School in Arlington. The alleged shooter, a 17-year-old student named Julian Howard, has been booked on murder charges.
The Dallas Express will provide updates on the situation at Colleyville Synagogue.