Four schools in Tierrasanta were placed on lockdown and police went door-to-door at nearby homes searching for a homicide suspect Tuesday afternoon.
Police called Kumeyaay Elementary School on 6475 Antigua Boulevard just before 1 p.m. and told officials to place the school on lockdown, according to a school spokesperson.
Shortly after, three other schools were placed on lockdown. The schools included Tierrasanta Elementary School, De Portola Middle School, and Serra High School.
"A little earlier today we had a call for assistance from the U.S. Marshal’s office as well as the OC task force in the area looking for a murder suspect," said Chief of San Diego Unified School District police Rueben Littlejohn. "He fled on foot and they lost him in this general area."
Littlejohn said the suspect is Matthew Rowley, pictured below. He was born in 1990 and is wanted for murder in Orange County.
The lockdown was lifted at all the schools except for Kumeyaay at about 2:15 p.m. By 3 p.m. the search was called off, though authorities did not locate Rowley.
At about 2:45 p.m. the parents were allowed to come 10-at-a-time to Kumeyaay Elementary School eastbound on Antigua Road to pick up their kids. They can’t come westbound on that road, Littlejohn said.
The Corona Police Department released an alert on Wednesday last week on Rowley, saying he was a suspect in a fatal shooting. They warned residents that he is considered armed and dangerous and that the handgun he used is still outstanding.
In the alert, police said they responded to the 1100 block of Border Avenue in Corona at about 9:30 the night of January 16.
When they arrived, officers found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to the hospital and later died. Police believe Rowley was responsible in the fatal shooting. The Corona Police Department is assisting the San Diego Police Department in their search for him.
According to SDPD department spokesperson Jim Johnson, SDPD didn’t request the school be locked down. Johnson said said the district's police department was on the call and they likely called for the lockdown as a precaution.
Police surrounded Kumeyaay Elementary school armed with guns as the search was underway.
Kumeyaay school is located east of I-15 and south of SR-52. Police could be seen searching homes and the park nearby during the search. K9 and air assistance units were also helping in the search.
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