Rural Nebraska school, day care and bank lock down over tripod and rifle mix-up

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A school, day care and bank in Thayer County went into lockdown early Thursday morning after a photography tripod was mistaken for a rifle.

Around 9 a.m., the Thayer County Sheriff’s Office was sent to the area of Highway 4 and Highway 81.

The caller said a man was walking along Highway 81 between Hebron and Bruning with a rifle, but the sheriff’s office said it was a thirdhand report.

Law enforcement said they were unable to find anyone but were called back to the same location two hours later.

Deputies got in touch with an eyewitness, who said he saw man walking near the Bruning spur off of Highway 4.

That person got into a Chevrolet SUV with possible government plates and drove north toward Bruning, according to the witness.

As a precaution, the Bruning school, day care center and bank went into lockdown.

After an investigation, the sheriff’s office found the person was likely a student with a tripod.

A staff member and student matching the description were working on a school project, taking pictures in and around Bruning.

The sheriff’s office said they were in a white SUV with government plates.

According to the sheriff’s office, it is not against the law to walk down the side of a highway with a rifle, as long the person can lawfully possess the gun and is not shooting from the roadway or intimidating anyone.

“A call like this one, especially in today’s world, does however peak our interest and does merit an investigation,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.