Man seen with rifle near Dzantik’i Heeni campus was entering woods to hunt, JPD says

Lockdown at school on Wednesday as police search area after receiving reports

A sign at the entrance of the Dzantik’i Heeni campus on Aug. 20, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

Juneau Independent staff

A man with a rifle seen near the Dzantik’i Heeni campus on Wednesday morning prompted a lockdown of the school by officials there as police searched the woods nearby, ultimately determining he was going hunting, according to a Juneau Police Department information release.

JPD received a report at about 8:05 a.m. "of an adult man who had parked near the Dzantik’i Heeni Optional Programs building on Renninger Street and walked into the woods near the playground carrying a rifle," according to the release.

"Out of an abundance of caution, school administrators immediately initiated emergency protocols and placed the campus into a temporary lockdown," the release notes. "JPD officers responded to the area, searched the surrounding trails, identified the man, and investigated the circumstances."

JPD reported the man was going hunting, "and that there was no threat to the school, students, or staff." The lockdown at the school was subsequently lifted.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.