Suspect in custody after witness says firearm flashed at Balfour Collegiate

A 15-year-old suspect is in custody following reports that a male with a firearm was seen at Balfour Collegiate in Regina. The situation affected two high schools, Balfour and nearby Miller Comprehensive.

According to police, the suspect was not found in the school, but at a residence in the 1500 block of Montague Street.

Police said the youth was found by investigators and patrol officers, just before 6 p.m. CST.

Police briefing: Balfour Collegiate

10 years ago

Duration 2:06

Insp. Corey Zaharuk briefs media on police response to a call at Balfour Collegiate.

The situation began shortly after the last bell of the day at Balfour, which is at 3:10 p.m. Police said they responded to a call about a suspect, possibly with a firearm, just before 3:30 p.m.

Police said the report came from a school staff member who noted to them that no threats had been made and no shots had been fired.

Students at Balfour told CBC News that they saw a teenage boy, known to them as a fellow student, carrying what looked like a firearm.

"We were just getting our stuff ready [to leave] and some guy came up to us and pulled up his shirt and lowered his belt and flashed a gun at us," Kendra Golaiy, who is 15 and in Grade 10 at Balfour, told CBC News. That was around 3:15 p.m.

Golaiy said students were quickly hustled out of the building by staff.

"They were, like, pushing people out," she said. "I didn't want to believe that it was real at first."

Balfour Collegiate, a public high school, was immediately placed under lockdown. Miller Collegiate, a Catholic high school next door, was also affected.

Situation at Miller

An official from the Catholic school board said Miller was placed in a "secure" mode, as a response to a threat outside the building. The secure mode meant no one was allowed in or out of the school. The official said about 100 students were gathered in the library, another 30 were in the gym and some parents were in the cafeteria. The school was hosting a basketball tournament Friday.

RAW: Weapon seen at Regina H.S.

10 years ago

Duration 0:58

Balfour student Kendra Golaiy talks about what she saw.

Regina police said that since the school day was ending at the time of the call, very few people were in the building. They said a group of nine, two students and seven staff, locked themselves in a room, but were in constant communication with police.

At 5:20 p.m., police sent a group of tactical officers into the building. About thirty minutes later, the SWAT officers were seen guiding nine people from the building. They boarded a transit bus, which drove away.

In a briefing with media, later Friday evening, Insp. Corey Zaharuk said the case was still under investigation. He noted that police had not, as of Friday night, seized any weapon. He said the youth was apprehended without incident.