Hall County school officials had a brief scare Wednesday when gunshots were heard near Mount Vernon Elementary School, leading to a lockdown that lasted about 10 minutes. Hall County law enforcement officials determined the shots came from a resident next to the school shooting a rattlesnake on his property, school district spokesman Gordon Higgins said. The incident happened around 1:20 p.m. Principal Connie Daniels ordered an immediate lockdown and notified law enforcement, Higgins said.