CRIME, POLICE + COURTS

South Salt Lake police activity leads to shelter-in-place at junior high

Editorial note: An earlier version of this story suggested the police activity near Granite Park Junior High in South Salt Lake and near Copper Hills Elementary and Matheson Junior High in Magna was connected. They were two separate incidents.

SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah — Police activity forced a ‘shelter in place’ order at Granite Park Junior High in South Salt Lake on Tuesday; meanwhile, similar orders at two schools at the same time in Magna created confusion. 

Shelter-in-place lifted in South Salt Lake

The Granite School District said South Salt Lake Police issued the shelter-in-place order while looking for a suspect nearby. School officials say there was no threat to students, teachers or staff at any time. 

Reporters and photographers witnessed heavy police presence in South Salt Lake during the time of the shelter-in-place, in the area of 2700 South and 300 East. They observed police taking at least one person into custody. 

Police increased their presence near the Granite Education Center and Woodrow Wilson Elementary School as well, but without a shelter-in-place order.  

Second incident in Magna was unrelated

In a separate incident around the same time, police executing a search warrant in Magna prompted a shelter-in-place order for two schools there. School officials say there was no threat to students, teachers or staff at Copper Hills Elementary and Matheson Junior High. The district described it as a precautionary measure as authorities executed the warrant.  

Both the South Salt Lake and Magna shelters-in-place orders have since been lifted. 

During a ‘shelter in place’ order, school officials lock all exterior doors to their building; they do not allow visitors on campus until police clear the scene.