Report of person with firearm triggers heavy police presence in Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A report of an individual with a firearm in the area of 87th Street near Denny’s in Fort St. John on the evening of March 12th resulted in a heavy police presence.

Corporal Madonna Saunderson with the North District RCMP said police were called to a home in the area around 8:30 p.m. and were alerted that the person in question may have a firearm.

Someone from the residence also phoned the police for assistance, according to Saunderson.

She said that the residence’s occupants were able to leave safely, and the individual was taken to hospital for treatment. 

Police confirmed that there were firearms in the residence, but the individual never presented a firearm to police.

The perimeter being closed off and a heavy police presence led to unconfirmed reports about the incident via social media.

“Finding a safe spot in your house generally means a shooting,” commented one resident in response to a post about the incident on a local Facebook group.

However, Sergeant Scott Watson with the Fort St. John RCMP says it is the procedure to corner off the area on reports of a firearm.

“In situations where a firearm may be involved, the responding officers would contain the location, hence the large police presence,” said Watson. 

The individual came out of the home without incident at the request of the police.