NEWS

Schools locked up after gunman reported in Eglinton-Allen area

Local schools were put on “hold and secure” yesterday after police received reports of a man walking near Eglinton Avenue West and Allen Road with two guns.

The first reports of a gunman dressed in fighting gear came on Oct. 19 at 5:43 a.m., according to police on Twitter.

The man was described as white, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8, weighing 160 pounds, and wearing a SWAT suit, balaclava and army cap.

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By afternoon the man had not been found and no further sightings had been reported, police said.

It remained an active search however. Investigators continued interviewing witnesses, reviewing video and following leads, they said.

Schools in the area were placed in hold and secure, police said. In hold and secure, schools continue to operate normally but outer doors are locked and no one allowed to enter or leave, in response to a threat in the schools’ general vicinity.

 

Residents question police

Police reportedly attended the schools to assist with dismissal of students after classes.

Throughout the day and the next, worried residents in the area asked police online for updates and asked if they were in danger. Police replied on Twitter as late as 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 20 that they had no further information to share, but the investigation was ongoing.

People have also questioned whether the incident was related to an online threat on Oct. 16 to commit a shooting at an unidentified Toronto school. (See the police news and photo release regarding the alleged threat.)

Police have not connected the two incidents.

Investigators are asking anyone in the area at the time with dashcam footage or video surveillance to contact police at 13 Division.