A central Iowa grade school was locked down for a time Tuesday over a report of a firearm. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office got a report around midafternoon of some kids carrying and concealing a gun, near a northside Des Moines grade school. Principal Deb Chiodo was told about it, and put Cornell Elementary on lock-down status.
Deputies say they found the kids, got the gun, and quickly determined it was a plastic air-soft pistol that shoots rubber pellets. The deputies told the kids just how unwise it was to play with the lookalike gun near school property and the lockdown was over in about fifteen minutes.