BREAKING: Police assure there is no gunman on loose in Harrison threat

However, they warn it is not safe to return to evacuated buildings

At around 8:30 am, the Harrisonburg Police Department received a call about a barricaded subject in 1173 Devon Lane who might be armed. WHSV reported that “a student received a text from a friend this morning saying that a man ran up to a girl’s car around 8:30 am and said he was being robbed by men and that they were going to ‘kill his roommate.'”

At 11:50, WHSV updated “Police have confirmed […] that the person barricaded in an apartment [in the Harrison] is not a JMU student” and that “SWAT teams [were] approaching the apartment in full tactical gear.”

Police evacuated residents from all surrounding apartments and called the Rockingham County’s SWAT team. Some of these residents have been evacuated to the Harrison’s Clubhouse, which is a safe place to which residents displaced by the situation can go.

WHSV also reported that “one man who was in the apartment at the start of the barricade situation has come out of the building. That man was not held against his will, and one person–not a JMU student–remains in the apartment.”

The situation is ongoing and when reached for comment, Harrisonburg Police Department informed us that a large part of the Harrison has been barred off. Also, that it is not safe to go back to evacuated apartment buildings, although the situation is supposedly contained. They also assured us there are no known reports of any gunmen on the loose.

Those who have been evacuated are advised to stay clear of the area if possible, but the clubhouse of The Harrison apartment complex remains a safe location in which they can stay until the situation is resolved.

It is not known who this person or persons are, but we will update readers as more details are released.

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