Police in two Windsor-Essex communities handled separate situations Wednesday that resulted in two schools being placed in hold-and-secure.
The first incident took place early in the afternoon at Leamington District Secondary School. Callers to the WindsorNewsToday.ca newsroom first reported a possible hold-and-secure situation at the school.
Greater Essex County District School Board spokesman Scott Scantlebury told Windsor News Today that the issue was off-campus and required OPP attention. The hold-and-secure was lifted after about half an hour, and OPP Constable Steven Duguay confirmed that there was no threat against the school itself.
The second incident occurred later in the afternoon at Sandwich Secondary School in LaSalle. Police said they responded to a report of a person who had no connection to the school who allegedly showed up in the parking lot carrying a firearm.
"Officers immediately attended the school to investigate and learned that an argument between two groups of people had taken place in the parking lot of the school," read a Facebook post from LaSalle Police. "A student who was not involved reported the incident to the principal and stated that they overheard that one of the involved males possibly had a firearm. LaSalle Police Service suggested to school officials to place the school in a Hold and Secure status pending further investigation."
The hold-and-secure was strictly precautionary, and it was determined there was no gun and no threat against the school or any person.
Police issued two trespass notices against two males, and their parents were notified.
No injuries were reported in either incident. Both schools are expected to hold classes Thursday as usual.