Firearm complaint prompts hold-and-secure orders at Colwood schools

Two schools were placed on temporary hold-and-secure protocols Friday after a group of young people were seen brandishing what appeared to be a gun at a bus stop in Colwood, B.C.

Two schools were placed on temporary hold-and-secure protocols Friday after a group of young people were seen brandishing what appeared to be a gun at a bus stop in Colwood, B.C.

The West Shore RCMP say they were alerted to the sighting at the bus stop in the 400-block of Dressler Road shortly after noon.

Officers notified Dunsmuir Middle School and Royal Bay Secondary School, which initiated hold-and-secure protocols.

Police attended the scene and arrested a male and a female suspect, both of whom are minors. Investigators determined the firearm at the centre of the complaint is a replica.

The West Shore RCMP say their investigation is ongoing and the department will not comment further on the matter.

Dunsmuir Middle School and Royal Bay Secondary School are both part of the Sooke School District, which describes its hold-and-secure protocol as a response to a safety concern, such as a police incident, in the neighbourhood of the school.

During the hold-and-secure order, exterior doors of the school are locked while normal activities inside the school continue.