Vancouver high school locked down after teacher brought in 'vintage rifle': police

A gun scare at a Vancouver high school Thursday morning turned out to have been caused by a "vintage rifle" a teacher brought to work for a presentation, authorities have confirmed.

 

Another teacher from Lord Byng Secondary School called 911 at 8:05 to report a man carrying a rifle, which triggered a lockdown of three schools and a significant response from the Vancouver Police Department.

 

"Our officers dropped what they were doing, quickly arrived at the school and were able to quickly resolve the incident," spokesperson Const. Jason Doucette said at a news conference about the false alarm, which was resolved by 9 a.m.

 

"I'm not sure what was in the teacher's mind at the time of bringing a firearm to the school. My understanding it is an experienced teacher, it was for presentation – probably for some sort of history lesson," Doucette later said.

 

The rifle was not loaded and is likely too old to be operational, but Doucette noted that seeing a man walking into a school carrying the "very large" weapon would have been extremely alarming, and that officers always have to treat a report like this as if the weapon is both real and loaded.

 

When police searched the school and found the rifle, the teacher – who was hiding because he was unaware his actions had caused the lockdown – was "taken down," Doucette said.

 

"We did debrief the teacher. He was apologetic, and I'm very confident we're not going to see this again. There was no criminal intent at all," he added.

 

The weapon has been seized but police do not anticipate recommending any charges.

 

The timing of the call meant that the building was virtually empty of students, but that other staff were present.

 

Around 8:30 a.m. parents and caregivers were told, in an email, to keep their kids home until further notice due to a "police incident."

 

In a follow-up, the school's administration said that the school was temporarily locked down but that police had "cleared the situation" and that everyone in the building was safe.

 

A letter to parents from the principal explaining what happened was sent out around 11:30 a.m.

 

"Importantly, I want to reassure you that no one was harmed during this incident," it read.

 

"The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families remain our utmost priority. We understand that situations like these can be distressing, and we deeply appreciate your patience and cooperation throughout this challenging time."