Tent City & Squatters: Lubbock Parents Terrified After Incident at Local Elementary School

Update: Lubbock ISD Communications and Community Relations Executive Director Erin Gregg issued the following statement to 94.5 FMX about Tuesday’s incident at Overton Elementary School:

Lubbock ISD and Overton Elementary School administration are aware of the incident involving a vehicle driven across the lawn of the school yesterday afternoon. This reckless and dangerous act posed an unnecessary risk to our students, staff, and families. We are continuing to investigate the issue in partnership with the Lubbock ISD Police Department to prosecute this individual to the fullest extent of the law and ensure our campus and school grounds remain a safe place for all.

Original story: On Tuesday, April 12th, 2022, JJ Howell, a concerned parent of a child enrolled at Overton Elementary School, which is one of the most beloved schools in Lubbock, contacted 94.5 FMX to discuss something that happened on the front lawn while he was waiting to pick up his child. The incident absolutely scared him to death.

Here's the statement from Howell detailing the incident:

Alright, so I parked in my usual spot under a nice shade tree. I was minding my own business when I heard a knock on my window. I turned and saw a dude standing there holding a rake looking really pissed off for some reason. I thought maybe I was blocking his driveway so I rolled down my window and turned down my podcast and when I made eye contact he just muttered and walked away. I was immediately sketched out as I watched him walk to the truck behind me and tap on his window with the rake, I watched them exchange words, and the guy with the rake looked real aggravated. He walked back across the street and paced back and forth with his rake, muttering to himself, he then went into the garage of the condemned house that is home to several squatters and proceeded to get into his green Tahoe Z71 with black rims and Colorado plates and backed out pretty quickly almost crashing into the driver side of my car. He then threw it into drive and drove up onto the sidewalk and across the front lawn of Overton Elementary. After having a moment of shock and talking to the man in the other truck we proceeded inside to give all the details to the school staff who were in the process of contacting authorities.

He posted a video of the aftermath, and before you watch it, I'll warn you there is some language. He was clearly shaken from what he had just seen.

Some photos were taken of a home nearby where several squatters have allegedly  been staying. They've also built some kind of "tent city" in the backyard, according to Howell. You can see a photo of that in the gallery below.

Get our free mobile app

Howell told 94.5 FMX that the police have been there several times but the situation just seems to keep getting worse. He told us that there have been people staying in this abandoned house illegally for 2-3 years now. He also believes there's drug use occurring on the property.

94.5 FMX reached out to Overton Elementary School and they confirmed that they're aware of the situation, but were not permitted to make a statement. They directed us to Lubbock ISD Communications and Community Relations Executive Director Erin Gregg. We left our information in a recorded voice message and received a response from Gregg saying she's investigating the incident and will be providing an update later today. This story will be updated at that time.

Were you picking up your child at Overton Elementary School when this happened? Please comment on our Facebook page if you're also concerned about this nearby property. You can also email me at Chrissy.Covington@townsquaremedia.com if you'd care to comment on what happened.