A shooting in an off-campus neighborhood near Santa Maria High School on Tuesday afternoon prompted a decision to place the campus in “secure mode.” 

Officers from the Santa Maria Police Department responded to the 700 block of South Lincoln Street for a report of a shooting, Lt. Todd Logan said.

Police said they located shell casings, but did not find anyone who had been struck during the shooting.

No arrests had been made in connection with the incident which remained under investigation late Tuesday afternoon.

The shooting happened around 1 p.m. one block north of the campus, according to Kenny Klein, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District public information officer. 

“As a precautionary measure, at the recommendation of local police, we placed our campus in secure mode, keeping students in their classrooms for approximately 60 minutes,” Klein said. “Once the police determined that any and all threats had been eliminated, the campus was restored to its normal schedule.”

Secure mode means lessons still can occur in the classrooms since the threat is off campus but nearby, Klein said.  

Under the standard response protocol, the lowest level, or hold, instructs people to remain in the rooms and clear the halls. 

The third level, or lockdown mode, means lock the door, turn off the lights and get out of sight since the threat is on campus.

Other levels include evacuating to an announced location and sheltering using the announced hazard strategy.