A day after a gun scare sent the Community College of Philadelphia into lockdown, police said they're not certain a gun was ever on campus and the teen taken into custody had not been charged.
The 17-year-old was arrested within three hours of Tuesday morning's lockdown at the campus on Spring Garden Street near 17th.
SWAT officers ordered everyone to shelter in place after reports the teen pulled a gun on a student. When police arrested the teen, they did not find a gun. School officials said Wednesday the incident unfolded when a former student and current student -- two men -- got into an argument near a coffee bar in the Bonnell building.
A short time later, one of those students reported to Philly police that the other had a gun. No other witnesses reported every seeing a gun, police confirmed Wednesday.
CCP President Donald Generals admitted there was confusion about a "lockdown" versus a "shelter in place" order, which was sent in the campus-wide text alert system. The in-class phone alert system put in place after last May's gun on campus incident, never broadcast the emergency alerts.
"We had no clue what was going on," said student Felicia Hartman. "We didn't even get a text that we were on lockdown til we tried to leave the building and they said, 'You can't leave.'"
Generals said the process is ongoing and "we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
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Students on campus Wednesday were offered counseling on a drop-in basis.
