Sarasota police investigate report of shots fired near schools; no injuries reported

Schools along Fruitville Road went on a precautionary lockdown this afternoon after authorities received reports of possible gunfire in the area, police reported

St. Martha Catholic School, Bishop Nevins Academy and Cardinal Mooney High took safety measures while police fanned out in the neighborhoods nearby. McIntosh Middle School, a public school not far away, also raised its level of security during the incident, school officials said.

No evidence of gunfire was found, and police later said motorcycle backfires had been reported in the same area at the same time, around 3 p.m. 

In a social media post, a spokeswoman for Sarasota Police wrote "an adult responded to the Sarasota Police Department front desk to report that his motorcycle had backfired in the same location at the same time.''

No injuries were reported. 

Officers on the scene assisted the schools in their dismissals while also canvassing the area.