Kamloops RCMP say the lockdown at Norkam Secondary School last week was triggered by a prank call made from inside the building, and no firearm was ever found.

Just before 2 p.m. on November 6, police received a 911 report claiming that a person was inside the school with a gun. That call prompted an immediate lockdown at Norkam Secondary and a police response to the North Shore school.

As officers began investigating, they determined the 911 call had come from inside the school. Police later found that an unattended phone had been used by a student to make the false report.

The student connected to the phone was briefly detained as part of the investigation, and RCMP say a suspect has now been identified. “In order to maintain the safety of the students a lockdown was initiated until investigators could assess the legitimacy of the report of a firearm in the school,” said Superintendent Jeff Pelley, Officer in Charge of the Kamloops RCMP Detachment. “Once the initial assessment determined there was no longer an immediate threat, the lockdown was released.”

Pelley says the RCMP’s General Investigative Support Team has been working on the case since the incident and confirmed the threat was not credible.

RCMP worked closely with School District 73 during the incident and thanked students, staff, and parents for their patience and cooperation.

The detachment says it takes all school-related threats seriously and reminds the public that false reports can carry significant consequences.

For more information, RCMP have provided links to previous updates and School District 73’s statement regarding the incident.