Officials kept Goodrich Middle School students inside the building for about 15 minutes after the final bell Monday while police looked for a man reportedly carrying a gun near the school.

Lincoln Police Officer Katie Flood said a citizen called police at 2:50 p.m. to report seeing a man near the south side of the school holding what appeared to be a long gun wrapped in a blanket. The caller said the man appeared to be about 18.

Eight police cruisers responded to the area, and officers called school officials to ask them to keep students inside.

Goodrich Principal Mike Henninger said students had just been dismissed from their classrooms and were filling the hallways when he got the call.

He announced a “code red,” or emergency situation, students returned to their classrooms, teachers locked the doors to their rooms, and they waited.

Police found no one, and students were allowed to leave about 3:15 p.m., Flood said.

“Officers are staying in the area and closely monitoring the area,” Flood said Monday afternoon. Police had left as of 5:30 p.m. No one matching the description had been found.

Henninger commended students and staff for taking the code red seriously and reacting quickly and in an orderly way.

“It worked amazingly well,” he said. “Our kids and our staff did a wonderful job.”