Crawley College principal thanks 'heroic' staff following gun incident
The building will remain closed 'for the foreseeable future' following Monday's incident
Last updated 28th Apr 2021
The principal of Crawley College has praised the 'courage, resilience and support' shown by staff during Monday's gun incident.
Two members of staff, including a teacher, suffered minor injuries while attempting to restrain a person with weapons inside the building.
Neither received gunshot wounds and both have been discharged after receiving medical treatment on site.
The incident led to a large-scale police response including explosives ordnance experts, armed officers and dog units.
Sussex Police confirmed that a suspect, 18-year-old Sandijs Dreimanis of Barton Walk in Crawley, has been charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and possession of a bladed article on a school premises.
He is due to appear at Crawley Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (April 28th).
In a statement, Vicki Illingworth said the community had been 'shaken' by the events:
"They (staff) have been incredible and the care and compassion they shared with our students and with each other continues to fill me with admiration.
“Their heroic actions – and the rapid response of emergency services – helped to protect our college community. They are both at home, resting, and we ask members of the media to respect their privacy at this time.
“Our priority is and remains the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff. Counselling services are available for all students and staff.
“We are grateful to have received so many messages of support from parents and local residents, as well as colleagues across the FE sector, local authorities and individuals close to the college. We would like to thank everyone for keeping us in their thoughts and extend our thanks to the Police and the emergency services."
The College has confirmed it will remain closed for the foreseeable future in order to repair damage caused to buildings during the incident, and to ensure adequate safety measures are in place.
Chief Inspector Shane Baker, of the Crawley Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:
“I’d personally like to thank everyone who helped to quickly bring this incident to a safe conclusion, especially the two members of college staff whose heroics have not gone unnoticed.
"They put themselves in harm’s way in order to protect their students, fellow employees and the wider public, and I am hugely grateful for their quick-thinking actions.
“We are treating this as an isolated incident which was not terror-related, and while we are not seeking anyone else in connection with it, we will continue to provide a high visibility police presence in the area for community reassurance."
Police enquiries are ongoing and anyone with any information is urged to report it online or call 101, quoting Operation Reset.