FAIRBURY – A local man is in custody after he shot a gun into the ground following a dispute with his neighbors on Monday morning in Fairbury. As a precaution, Fairbury Public Schools was placed into “Secure” status around noon before the man was ultimately apprehended, though no students or staff were ever in immediate danger.  

According to a release shared by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, officers received a 911 call reporting a shot fired. Officers arrived at 909 E Street in Fairbury, just a few blocks north of downtown, shortly after 9:30 a.m. on Monday.  

There, they determined that 67-year-old Luis Reyes of Fairbury confronted his neighbors about “a situation” and then fired a gun into the ground before leaving the scene and heading to Beatrice. Surrounding counties joined in the effort to locate Reyes and just before 1 p.m. the Gage County Sheriff’s Office identified his vehicle on Highway 136 heading back towards Jefferson County.  

Reyes was then intercepted near Jansen and taken into custody at the Jefferson County Jail “without incident.” He has been charged with terroristic threats and the use of a weapon to commit a felony, according to the release. 

With Reyes still unaccounted for, the sheriff's office contacted Fairbury Public Schools around 11:30 a.m. and advised them to enter “Secure” status following the Standard Response Protocols. “Secure. Get inside and lock outside doors,” was the message shared twice to everyone inside the building.  

“School classes and activity carried on as usual during the Secure Standard Response Protocol,” Curt Thomas, principal at Fairbury Junior/Senior High School, said in an email to school families Monday. “The students were able to eat lunch on campus, and the secure was lifted at 1:05 p.m.” That was when Reyes was officially taken into custody, removing any potential threat to the area.  

This process was followed "as we were unsure of his [Reyes’] whereabouts and wanted the schools to remain safe and secure,” the sheriff’s office said. Both Thomas’ message and the police release shared the same language and underscoring of safety: no students or staff were in danger at any time, we just wanted to ensure that no one else came in or out of the building during that time.”