False alarm gun threat prompts heavy police presence in Osoyoos

Photo: File photo

A large police presence descended on Osoyoos due to a perceived gun threat Thursday afternoon, which was later revealed to be a false alarm.

At 3:42 p.m., RCMP received a call from Sonora Community Centre staff with reports of a man on Oleander Drive in all black wearing a hoodie with a gun, reported by two kids. The call mentioned gun shots were reportedly heard.

"We operate [with an] abundance of caution, especially when it involves a call of a firearm and children," said RCMP Sgt. Jason Bayda.

According to police, two young girls saw something pointy in the man's hand and ran away. They heard a "swishing" noise, and eventually trekked their way to the Sonora Centre.

"We flooded the area. We had our entire office that was working. We had a federal section attend. We had Oliver and Keremeos members attend as well. The police dog services out of Penticton attended."

Bayda said police reviewed security footage and spoke to people in the surrounding area. According to police, no one heard a gun shot and no one that matched the description was seen.

"We're very comfortable that there was no one with a gun and there was no gunshot. But having said that, these are children, and they saw something that scared them, and they did the right thing by running and asking for help."

Bayda added that some witnesses may have seen police apprehending someone away from the Sonora Centre, however, it was regarding an unrelated incident.

Officers cleared the areas of Oleander Drive and the Sonora Centre just before 5 p.m.