Rehoboth Christian School Lockdown Ends Safely, Investigation Continues

Gallup police, the McKinley County Sheriff's Office, and FBI agents converged on Rehoboth Christian School Wednesday after a report of an armed person on campus, triggering a full lockdown that ended without injury and without a suspect in custody.

The call arrived April 8, sending Gallup Police Department units to the private school in the Gallup area. Officers placed the campus under immediate lockdown and coordinated an evacuation of students and staff. Families were directed to the Red Rock 10 movie theater, where reunification was completed without complication.

Searches of the campus turned up no active threat and no armed individual inside the school. No shots were fired, and no one was injured during either the response or the evacuation.

The FBI's involvement points to either a suspected cross-jurisdictional element or the need for federal investigative resources, a level of response that reflects how seriously law enforcement treated the initial report. Investigators are now expected to canvass for witnesses, review security and traffic camera footage, interview students and staff, and trace the lead that generated the original call. Depending on what that work yields, outcomes can range from clearing the scene with no charges to arrest and prosecution if a suspect is identified.

The Gallup Police Department has classified the incident as an active investigation. As of Wednesday, officers were still asking the public to avoid the area surrounding the school while work on scene continued. Detectives urged anyone with information about the reported armed person to come forward.

Rehoboth Christian School, a private K-12 institution serving families in the Gallup area, became the latest campus in McKinley County to test the rapid-response and family reunification procedures local agencies have built out in recent years. The offsite reunification at Red Rock 10 executed without reported problems. The Gallup Police Department said it will release further updates as the investigation progresses.