Police questioning three young men after possible gun sighting near Montreal high school
Students at a high school in Montreal North were forced into a lockdown after a caller reported a gunman nearby on Tuesday afternoon.
Three young men fitting the caller's description were located and apprehended by police officers in the area, Montreal police (SPVM) later said.
SPVM spokesperson Raphael Bergeron said the young men were searched, but no firearms were found.
Investigators are speaking with the young men, but Bergeron said the school was not targeted, but rather a conflict erupted between two individuals.
The caller who reported the sighting said the person with a gun was outdoors, a few blocks from Ecole Secondaire Henri-Bourassa.
A witness, Derek Rombeiro, said he saw a park adjacent to the school "filled with police officers, going after three suspects."
The three young men, who Rombeiro said looked like teenagers, lay on the ground while police patted them down, then were taken away in a police van.
Pointe-de-l'Ile Service Centre Director Valerie Biron confirmed that a concerning call came in this afternoon to the school.
"A team was quickly dispatched and the end of classes was delayed to allow police to verify the seriousness of the call," she said.
"The students remained in the safety of their classrooms throughout the intervention, along with their teachers."
Biron said officers searched the school and confirmed that it was secured and students and staff were allowed to leave around 3:45 p.m.
"Parents were informed of the situation by email and were invited to debrief their children," said Biron.
Psychologists will be available to any students or staff who need assistance over the next few days.
Last year, several Montreal schools were briefly closed as a precaution after a series of hoaxes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Asking rent prices up 9.3% across Canada, Ontario sees only decline: report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canada's longstanding blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma was harmful and discriminatory, Canadian Blood Services acknowledged on Friday, in issuing an apology to the LGBTQ2S+ community.