Toronto police have shot and killed a man after he saw him carrying a rifle near an elementary school, prompting an emergency blockade for hundreds of students.
Officers responded to reports of a man, described as a teenager or 20, who was carrying a firearm in the Port Union area of Scarborough in the Canadian city around 1 p.m.
Witnesses told local media they heard three gunshots and then saw police trying to resuscitate the man.
Police Chief James Ramer told reporters Thursday afternoon that the event was “isolated” and that there was no further threat to public safety, but that police would increase patrols in the area.
“Because of the proximity to a school, I certainly understand the trauma and trauma it must have been for staff, students and parents, given the recent events that have taken place in the United States,” he said.
The shock comes when the United States has its worst school shootout in a decade. Two days ago, 19 children and two teachers were killed when an 18-year-old gunman entered an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Ramer said he could not comment further on the incident because the province’s Special Investigations Unit will conduct an investigation.
The police watchdog intervenes whenever an officer shoots or kills a civilian.
The Toronto District School Board said two schools, Charlottetown Junior Public School and Centennial Road Junior Public School, went into “standby and safe.” Two other schools, the Joseph Howe Senior Public School and the Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute, were blocked.
A school board spokesman said a nearby school did not appear to be involved in the incident.