Police with Kingston Police on stage at the Frontenac Secondary School after high school was put into a lockdown due to a “immediate or perceived threat” for the school, the cause of which remains somewhat unclear from 6pm. on Thursday, June 9, 2022, the day the incident occurred. Photo by Cris Vilela. According to Kingston police, on the morning of Thursday, June 9, 2022, a young man who “was not a registered student” was spotted outside the FSS, along with three other young men. In a press release just before 6 p.m. On the same day, police said: “Witnesses noticed that the accused young man had waved a gun outside the school and these witnesses then notified the school management.” Immediately after, the police were notified. “Upon arrival, police secured the area around the school and saw security videos showing the accused. [youth] entering the school holding a Glock pistol. As a precaution, as it was not known if this pistol was genuine or a replica of a firearm / BB firearm, the school went into lock-up mode pending further investigation. “As the accused young man had not been spotted on camera leaving the school again, members of the Kingston Police Emergency Unit conducted a thorough search inside the school to locate the person.” Kingston Police at the scene at Frontenac High School on Thursday, June 9, 2022. Photos by Cris Vilela. The investigation then found that the young man in question was not at school, according to police. “The accused [youth]as well as the other young people they had arrived with, had abandoned the property and divorced, possibly to Bayridge High School, Bayridge Public School and / or Holy Cross High School, all possibly through different modes of transport. broadcast the police. As a precaution, the other schools were put on “suspension and security”, which means that no one can enter or leave the buildings. “Further investigation led to the accused [youth] who was located and arrested at 12:10 p.m. at a residence in the west end of Kingston. However, the accused did not have the weapon in their possession, “Kingston police said in a press release. “The other three young men were also located and one of them was in possession of the Glock BB.” At that point, security precautions were taken at all the schools that were affected, according to police. As a result of the incident, a 13-year-old man was taken to Kingston Police Headquarters and detained to attend a bail hearing tomorrow, June 10. This young man was accused of possessing a weapon dangerous to public peace and carrying a hidden weapon. Kingston police could not say whether the other three youths were arrested or not, but said the youths were being questioned by police. “All students and staff were safe at all times, but we needed to start a lockdown to ensure safety,” said Patty Gollogly, Associate Superintendent of Safe Schools for LDSB.
A day like any other?
“It was a regular breakfast, really,” said Zachary Bathurst, a 9th grader at FSS, “like every day.” Bathurst said that at 11 a.m. lunch time has begun. However, he had a meeting with the school’s baseball team and had to stay in school. “We were probably 15 minutes into the meeting when we heard a very loud click. It did not sound like a shot at all. “It was just a loud bang, which was quite confusing, but we brushed it and continued,” he said. Unfortunately, a few moments later, after the announcements, we were told “Let’s go to lockdown”. “Everyone was disappointed because they obviously wanted to go have lunch, but we thought it was a drill, so we didn’t think of anything.” In other words, the sound of sirens surrounded the two-storey high school. Although he and his friends “thought it was weird,” Bathurst said they still believed the situation was an exercise. Only when the sound of the sirens continued and grew bigger did he and his classmates “believe it was serious”, it was shared. With the current rise in mass shootings in the United States, parents and guardians were naturally worried as news of the incident began to spread on social media. The students themselves did not escape this, as most students have access to social media directly through their phones. “We have seen our friends post videos with the police outside the school. Police were armed with vests and weapons. “At the time we believed there was a serious threat,” Bathurst said. Police on stage at FSS. Photos Cris Vilela. At this point, Bayridge Secondary School (BSS) and Bayridge Public School (BPS) were both put on “standby and safe”, “precautionarily while Kingston police were on the scene at the Frontenac SS”, according to LDSB. It was about an hour after the announcement of the lockdown, Bathurst said, that police came to the school’s loudspeaker system. All students outside the school were informed that they had to enter the school through the front doors, where they would be checked by the police. “The students inside were told that they could leave their classrooms and, if their parents [were] picking them up, they [could] go out to the office and leave “, shared the 9th grade student. “When I got down, I left and tried to leave. My client told me that I was not allowed because we were in “prisoner and safe”. “After a minute, he let us go.” Although Kingston police asked parents not to come to school, some had already arrived and several students had left for the day. However, Bathurst said he felt the school did what it had to do in such situations. While there was “immediate panic among the students and you could even see the teachers a little worried as they did not know what was going on”, he feels that the school body has received the necessary communications. “They did a good job of letting the students know we were in a lockdown. “Obviously, in this situation, they can not tell us much, but they did what they could and I thought they did well,” he said. “I was trying to help my peers just by reassuring them and doing what I could.” “The general situation was very crazy, to be honest with you. Like I said, I thought it was a drill in the beginning, so I didn’t think about it at all, but I started listening to sirens and seeing news articles, so I knew something was up. “I was just worried that the suspect was in the building and I had no idea what his intentions were,” Bathurst continued. He and other students believed there was someone with a firearm in or around the building, something other students noted on social media during the incident. “I think Kingston police and all the other units handled it very well by securing the school and ensuring that the threat was removed.” At approximately 12:38 p.m., the FSS, BSS and BPS returned to “normal operation” according to the LDSB. Around the same time, the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB) put Holy Cross High School, also located on the west end of Kingston, into a committed and secure scenario. Police at the scene at Holy Cross Catholic High School on Thursday, June 9, 2022. Photos by Cris Vilela. “A detention and security procedure was put in place as a precautionary measure at the Catholic High School of the Holy Cross from 12:45 pm to 1:03 pm this afternoon in response to the presence of the police at another school”, reported the ALCDSB via email later in the afternoon. And while all students either returned to class or went home for the rest of the day and communications around the lockdown went well, Bathurst said he did not believe what happened next was the right answer. “The school gave us a short break and then said they were continuing the lesson. They told the parents not to come and pick us up. I do not think that was the right answer to the situation. “The school continued the lessons under restraint and safely for the rest of the day,” he said. “My mom and my family were scared for me and all the students, but I was sure I would reassure them quickly.” The junior high school student then shared his feelings about the situation as a whole as opposed to what happened in the FSS, looking at school safety in general and what everyone sees happening in the US. “Some students remained calm and some cried. We were discovering things from our friends abroad, so it was very scary not to know what was going on ω I really think the city of Kingston and everyone should know that this is not okay. The school should be a place of socialization and learning, not anymore. “A lot of people are dying from school shootings and it’s not okay,” he said. “It was a very scary experience that I never thought I should say I was part of. “But unfortunately, that is the reality.” Although Kingston Police spent a considerable amount of time on the FSS, as well as some time on the BSS and the Holy Cross, from 5:15 p.m. The police have not initially informed what caused the situation, although some information is expected sometime this afternoon. Photographs taken from inside the Holy Cross appear to show police arresting a man. However, Kingston police did not confirm or deny this. Photograph of an alleged detainee, taken by a student inside Holy Cross High School on Thursday, June 9, 2022. Kingston Police did not confirm or deny that an arrest was made at the school. Photo submitted. For their part, the LDSB would like to thank the police, as well as students, parents and the community at large. “We are grateful to our school staff for maintaining a calm, caring and safe atmosphere for our students and to the Kingston Police for the immediate and comprehensive …
