Two North Delta schools were briefly locked down this afternoon as police searched for a man allegedly wielding a gun.
According to a DPD press release issued this afternoon, police were contact’s at around noon today (Feb. 26) about a suspicious male near Delview Secondary with what looked like a firearm.
Police located the male, who turned out to be a student at Delview, and found he was in possession of a pellet gun.
“Pellet guns can easily be confused or mistaken for a real weapon,” said DPD public affairs coordinator Cris Leykauf in a press release. “This one in particular looked very similar to a real weapon.”
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Both Delview and nearby Gibson Elementary were placed into a “code yellow” lockdown for about 50 minutes as police assessed the situation.
In a code yellow, school administrators contact police and lock all exterior doors while teachers secure windows, draw the blinds and take attendance. Students are largely kept in class, but are still permitted to leave for reasons such as to use the restroom. The procedure allows the school to continue with a normal school day, but forbids outside activity. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter the building.
By contrast, a “code red” is a full-fledged lockdown, meaning students and staff shelter in place. It is used “when there is an immediate and imminent threat to the school building population,”according to the Delta School District’s emergency response manual.
This is the second time in under two weeks that police have been called to a North Delta high school for a student allegedly in possession of a firearm.
On Feb. 15, Sands Secondary was under code yellow lockdown for a little over half an hour after school officials received an anonymous tip alleging a student at the school was in possession of a handgun. A male student was arrested after police allegedly found him to be in possession of an airsoft pistol.
That incident took place one day after 17 people were killed and 14 wounded when a gunman opened fire inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old former student at the school, has been arrested and charged with 17 counts of murder.
In light of the recent incidents in North Delta, Delta Police are asking parents to talk to their kids about safety issues surrounding replica guns.
“It is not acceptable for anyone to bring a replica gun or pellet gun anywhere near a school,” Leykauf said. “While not illegal to own, we recommend parents have a discussion with their children about safety and the appropriate use of pellet guns and replica guns.”
Correction: an earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the school involved in the Feb. 15 as North Delta Secondary. That has now been amended.
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