Aurora Police Officers arrested and charged an intruder following the Granger lockdown on February 22. The charges include one count of criminal trespass to a safe school zone and one count of disorderly conduct (actions alarm or disturb another provoking breach of peace). 

The event created confusion and questions regarding both how the situation was handled and the story behind the lockdown.

Granger eighth-grade student Shreyashi witnessed the intruder, 20-year-old Brandt Ward of Aurora, appearing in all black with a dark red backpack, outside the building before school started. When she walked into school that morning, she said the intruder appeared to “look like he was in high school and drugged.” 

Immediately after, she saw the assistant principal ask him why he was there and if he needed help. According to Shreyashi, the intruder disregarded anything the assistant principal said and just blurted out, “I’m going to bring Jesus to these kids.”

When administrators initiated the lockdown, some students didn’t hear the announcement. 

“Since most of the 8th graders were in the locker banks most of us didn’t hear the ‘Alice Alice Alice’ alarm go off, “Shreyashi said. “I didn’t hear it because it was so loud and we got lectured about that as well.”

Shreyashi nevertheless believes that the situation was handled relatively well, despite some of the confusion.  

“I feel like it was best that the students did not know what was happening at the moment since otherwise, we would have all panicked,” she said. “The teachers were really calm and based on how they were acting we thought nothing much was going on.”

However, another Granger student, Sophia, was in a different area of the building.

Sophia initially thought she saw a student who was attempting to run away, but she later found out it was the intruder.

“Girls, including me, were hiding in one of the changing rooms with around 10 other girls,” Sophia said.  

She described the anxiousness from the rest of the students due to rumors spreading while the incident was unfolding and a delay in information getting to the students.

“Everyone was really scared at first because no one knew anything, but we heard from one of the teachers that the police were on their way,” Sophia said.

While school remained to proceed with the day, a lot of students went home, including Sophia. 

Shreyashi, however, decided to stay.

“I felt safe about going to school afterward because we were told that it wasn’t much of a big deal since the intruder didn’t have any weapons on him,” said Shreyashi.