‘False alarm’: Weapon that prompted police presence in Kitchener was pellet gun

Waterloo Regional Police were called to the Old Carriage Drive area of Kitchener on Wednesday due to reports of a man walking outside with a shotgun. However, police now say the weapon was actually a pellet gun.

The public was warned to avoid the area of 200 Old Carriage Drive on Wednesday morning because of the weapons call.

Roads and trails in the vicinity were blocked off and nearby residents were asked to stay inside their homes as a precaution.

Multiple schools in the neighbourhood were also placed into hold and secures and lockdowns as police investigated. It included several public and Catholic schools, as well as Conestoga College.

In an update shortly before 11:30 a.m., police confirmed all the hold and secures and lockdowns were lifted. Area roads and trails also reopened.

Police said there was no known threat to public safety and there were no reported injuries.

On Wednesday afternoon, police confirmed one arrest was made in the area. A male suspect was taken into custody for possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

He was later released, with no charges laid, as investigators determined the weapon was a pellet gun and the male was uring it on his property.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service said in a release, “It was further determined that no criminal offence had occurred.”