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Estates Elementary School is cordoned off after shooting in Ave Maria

Because of the nearby shooting, Estates Elementary School was placed on lockdown and visitors were not allowed to enter the school.

A shooting in Ave Maria sparked false rumors that a Collier County elementary school had to be locked down because of a shooting, authorities and school officials confirmed Thursday morning.

Jennifer Kupiec, spokeswoman for Collier County Public Schools, said that due to police activity near Estates Elementary School, the school has been placed into “campus security mode,” commonly referred to as a “lockdown.”

Despite the police intervention, the school day was able to continue as planned. Kupiec said the incident did not pose a threat to the school and neither students nor staff were injured.

Kupiec said the school was locked down shortly after 9:30 a.m. Thursday, about half an hour after a shooting nearby that left one victim injured.

Collier County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Michelle Batten said deputies were searching for the shooting suspect using tracking dogs and their flight unit. She said the shooting occurred near 60th Avenue Northeast and Everglades Boulevard in Ave Maria, near the county line with Hendry County.

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Batten confirmed that one person was injured in the shooting, which occurred around 8:53 a.m., but their condition was unknown Thursday morning.

The sheriff's office subsequently posted a press release on its Facebook page stating that sheriff's officers began a chase with the suspect vehicle.

Authorities said the driver fled on foot in the area of ​​60th Avenue Northeast and Everglades Boulevard.

Tomas Rodriguez is a breaking/live news reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Reach Tomas at [email protected] or 772-333-5501. Reach him on threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.

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