ELYRIA — Westwood Elementary School went into lockdown Thursday afternoon after a parent reported seeing a man with a gun in the school’s parking lot, according to the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to the school just after 12:00 p.m. and arrived within six minutes of the initial call. They located the man, later identified as Daymarion Donte Whitten, of Lorain, sitting inside a blue vehicle parked in the school’s visitor lot.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Whitten was tactically removed from the vehicle without incident. A search revealed a loaded 9mm handgun with an extended magazine hidden under the seat where he had been sitting. Deputies reported the firearm’s serial number had been defaced to conceal its identity.
Whitten was arrested and taken to the Lorain County Jail, where he faces multiple felony charges related to possession of a firearm on school property and having a weapon under disability due to a prior felony conviction in Lorain County Common Pleas Court.
“I’m proud of the quick response by deputies who contained the incident and didn’t allow this to escalate into a violent situation,” said Sheriff Jack Hall. “This is also a true case of ‘see something, say something’ as a parent quickly reported the situation to school authorities.”
The Sheriff’s Office confirmed that all students and staff are safe and that the school was cleared of any threats shortly after the arrest. The incident remains under investigation.