Port Alberni RCMP responded to reports of an armed male in the area of John Howitt Elementary School just before noon on Sept. 21.
“The Port Alberni RCMP detachment responded to a report of a male wearing camo gear walking towards the John Howitt Elementary School carrying a rifle,” said RCMP media liaison Aaron Aasen.
Police quickly found the man, but not before School District 70 locked down John Howitt Elementary and both Jericho Road church and École des grands-cèdres in the Klitsa School building on Tebo Avenue were informed.
“No criminal intent was identified and the situation was quickly resolved,” said Aasen.
According to the RCMP, schools in the area enacted a lockdown procedure as a precautionary measure. School District 70 sent out a letter informing parents and stated that as Sept. 21 was a professional development day, no students were there.
