WEST JORDAN, Utah — A large police presence with officers from around the Salt Lake Valley responded to a fight that left one student in serious condition Thursday at Copper Hills High School.
The West Jordan high school was placed on lockdown before being moved to lockout protocol as police responded to the scene.
West Jordan police wouldn't disclose what kind of injuries the student received but did say guns were not involved in the fight.
Police got a call at 12:30 p.m. about a fight at the school and a plethora of officers responded due to the seriousness of the situation, officials explained.
"Number one thing is to keep our kids safe, we get a call this serious in nature, we're going to send everyone we have," explained West Jordan Sgt. Kendall Holt.
When officers arrived, they found one injured student, who was taken to the hospital in serious condition.
Two other students were taken into custody as part of the investigation.
West Jordan Police said the scene was large and fairly chaotic immediately but due to the massive police presence, control was quickly achieved.
The scene, although large, was contained to the front East side of the school through the parking lot. Holt said no incident took place inside the school building.
A group of students was being held by police in one area of the school campus, as observed by FOX 13 News crews. Holt said officers were working to gather witness information from students.
"As you can imagine this is a school that's full," Holt said. "There are a lot of students. We're working with as many that we can and we've got them kind of segregated out so we can identify witnesses."
As the incident happened just hours before the end of the school day, Holt explained they would be implementing "modified lockout" procedures.
The protocol meant students were allowed to leave the school once the last bell rang at 2:25 p.m., but students who had cars at the crime scene would need to return at a later time to pick them up.
"The plan is to allow students to leave as normal at 2:25," Holt explained. "However, the crime scene is still going to be established at that time. We're working with school officials to get their vehicles within the crime scene at a later time."
In addition to Copper Hills High School, two other surrounding schools were also placed on lockout protocol as part of regular safety procedures.
Officials expect to be at the scene for many hours, through the evening as the investigation into the incident continues.
Further information about the identities of the students, what the fight was about and if any weapons were used during the incident were not made available.
A statement by the Jordan School district reads in full:
Copper Hills High School was immediately placed on lockdown early this afternoon after a serious altercation involving a small group of students in the school parking lot. As an additional precautionary measure, the school was then placed on lockout, with all exterior doors locked while police investigated the incident.
Police confirmed this was a targeted incident and one student was transported to the hospital to receive proper medical care. The suspects responsible for the altercation are in police custody.
We appreciate the quick response of West Jordan Police and Copper Hills High administration for following emergency protocol to secure the building during this serious incident.
Counselors will be available at Copper Hills High for any students and staff who may need support. Classes will continue on a regular Friday schedule tomorrow.
Student safety is our top priority.
Stay with FOX 13 News and fox13now.com for the latest updates.
