Three Cole Harbour schools were placed under hold and secure Tuesday afternoon after police received reports of a 16-year-old male with a gun spotted near school property.
The Halifax Regional School Board tweeted shortly after 3 p.m. that Auburn High School and George Bissett Elementary School were on hold and secure.
Halifax Regional School Board spokesman Doug Hadley said Colonel John Stuart Elementary was also on hold and secure.
Some students said they heard that a fellow student may had been carrying a cap gun.
“Apparently it was a Grade 10 student in the school,” said student Kevin Trites. “I heard he just had it on his lap, just was playing with it, just looking at it and stuff like that, and then someone went to tell on him.”
Police say the 16-year-old suspect was arrested and taken into custody shortly after the incident. They say a replica gun was located on the suspect’s property.
“We, of course, made an immediate patrol to the scene with the assistance of Halifax Regional Police, along with Halifax Regional Police K9 unit, and conducted an immediate search of the area,” said RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Greg Church.
George Bissett and Colonel John Stuart had already been dismissed for the day, but there were EXCEL students in care at George Bissett.
The hold and secure was lifted around 3:30 p.m. The school board said Auburn High students would be dismissed at the regular time.
Students say they were in the middle of a hold and secure drill at the time, until it turned real.
“Once the second one came on, I knew that something happened and I just didn't know what it was. It was kind of weird,” said student Tyrece Paris.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jacqueline Foster.
