Camden County Schools Ordered Shelter-In-Place
- Police ordered multiple Camden County schools to shelter-in-place during an active situation. - Residents were asked to avoid the area while officers secured the scene and investigated. - Officials later provided updates as investigations continued, emphasizing public safety and caution (patch.com).
Two Cherry Hill schools were ordered to shelter in place on April 16 while police worked an active scene near Rabbit Run Drive and Old Orchard Road. (patch.com) Cherry Hill Police said the order affected Joseph D. Sharp Elementary School and Henry C. Beck Middle School. The department later lifted both shelter-in-place orders and said the move was taken “out of an abundance of caution.” (patch.com) Police told residents to avoid the area even after the schools were cleared. Rabbit Run Drive remained open only to local traffic as officers continued working the scene. (patch.com) The police activity happened less than a mile from Liberty Bell Bank Plaza on Route 70, where a 61-year-old man had been found shot inside his truck the day before. Officers said the shooting happened at about 3:53 p.m. on April 15, and the man was hospitalized in stable condition. (6abc.com, nbcphiladelphia.com) By Thursday afternoon, tactical officers were at a home near Rabbit Run Drive and Old Orchard Road, and neighbors told local TV stations they saw schools placed on lockdown during the operation. Action News reported that investigators linked the raid to the April 15 shooting. (6abc.com, phl17.com) Cherry Hill Police said there was no threat to either school or to the broader community. That distinction matters in school emergencies: a shelter-in-place order keeps students inside while police handle a nearby hazard, even when the danger is not on campus. (patch.com) Investigators had not publicly identified the victim, explained a motive, or announced charges at the time the school alert was lifted. Police said the investigation was still active. (6abc.com, nbcphiladelphia.com) By late afternoon on April 16, the immediate disruption for students had ended, but police were still telling Cherry Hill residents to stay clear of the neighborhood while detectives finished their work. (patch.com)
