Police in northern Santa Barbara County increase patrols, advise vigilance after Texas school shooting
May 26—Local school districts in the Santa Maria area were provided with additional police patrols Wednesday and were advised to keep vigilant after a local threat followed a shooting in which at least 21 people were killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Tuesday.
Officials have coordinated with districts to provide high-visibility patrols in school zones in response to the shooting and after a threat was made on TikTok toward Patterson Elementary School on Tuesday, according to Lt. Rob Minter. He was not able to provide a specific list of schools but indicated they were any within the Sheriff's Office's jurisdiction.
Minter said nothing credible has surfaced regarding the threat, although officials will continue to investigate to determine the threat's origin.
Lt. Eligio Lara with the Santa Maria Police Department said their officers were advised to incorporate schools into their patrol routes and that they may receive a greater-than-usual number of suspicious activity calls.
Additionally, the Sheriff's Office reminded and encouraged the public to report suspicious activity.
"The Lompoc Unified School District collaborates daily with local law enforcement agencies to address any safety concerns on our school campuses," said spokeswoman Teresa Acosta. "When there are potential threats to a particular campus, law enforcement and the district take the appropriate steps to ensure the safety of our schools."
A gunman identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, a resident of the city approximately 85 miles west of San Antonio, shot and killed his grandmother, then went to Robb Elementary School, where he killed 19 children and injured 15 more people shortly before noon Tuesday, according to reports.
Ramos was killed in a shootout with law enforcement as they responded to the scene, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
