Provincial posted Dec 21, 2023 @ 11:00am by Josh Duncan

Teacher’s vintage rifle prompts lockdown at Vancouver high school

A massive police response to a high school this morning fortunately turned into just a training exercise for the Vancouver Police Department.

Officers from around the city rushed to Lord Byng Secondary in the West Point Grey neighbourhood, which has over 1,200 students, for a report of a man carrying a rifle into the school.

A teacher made the 911 call shortly after 8 am after witnessing the man walking into the building with the gun.

<who>Photo Credit: Angela Jeffery</who>Lord Byng Secondary School

"We immediately dispatched an emergency response to the school, and began searching for a suspect and to determine if anyone was injured," explained Cst. Jason Doucette.

Police locked down the school, with mostly staff inside as students hadn’t arrived for classes yet, and began a “systematic search” of the premises.

"Working closely with school staff, we were able to locate a staff member who had carried a vintage rifle into the school for a presentation,” Doucette said.

<who>Photo Credit: VPD</who>A photo of the seized firearm.