GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) – Police are on high alert today as they investigate a reported threat to the mall and a local bank.

Grand Junction Police spokesperson Kate Porras says Monday morning, an anonymous person told the 911 dispatch center a friend was going to shoot people at the Mesa Mall and at a bank. The person then hung up without giving any more information.

Dispatch immediately sent officers to the mall, where they set up a perimeter and searched inside and out. They did not find anything suspicious.

The mall was never locked down, but several banks in the area put themselves on lockdown for a brief time, Porras says. All have returned to normal operations.

According to Porras, the community has a heightened sense of awareness after the shooting in Connecticut, but she warns that spreading rumors and panic can cause more harm than good, tying up resources and wasting the time of investigators. However, police are grateful to those who diligently report suspicious behavior.