BCHS goes into 15 minute lockdown after RCMP investigate at C2

Story updated at 2:15pm on Tuesday, January 19.

Bonnyville Centralized High School went into a lockdown requested by Bonnyville RCMP after contacting the Centennial Centre about an active police situation.

NLPS said just before noon on Tuesday, the Bonnyville RCMP contacted the C2 and requested that the facility be put in lockdown as a precaution while police were dealing with an incident in the community.

“Due to its location within the C2, BCHS immediately implemented its lockdown procedure, which has been practiced and reviewed with staff and students, and everyone was secured at their designated locations,” said Mark Centazzo, principal at BCHS in a written statement.

The lockdown lasted approximately 15 minutes and classes resumed as scheduled once RCMP advised that the situation had been resolved, he said.

Bonnyville RCMP Sgt. Kim Hillier said members were actively searching for a suspect in an assault complaint after the lockdown Tuesday.

Hillier said the suspect left on foot and it was unknown at the time if the suspect was carrying a weapon and what the state of mind was.

“The lockdown was requested to ensure the safety of all the patrons at the school as the suspect was in the vicinity. We located the suspect who was not armed and dealt with by police without any issues.”

RCMP did not disclose any further details.

Mark Centazzo thanked everyone for their efforts and response.

“We would like to thank all of our students and staff for their quick and orderly response to the lockdown announcement. I am pleased with how everyone responded during this event,” he said.

“We would also like to thank the staff at the C2 for their cooperation and assistance with this incident. We appreciate their efforts to support us and our students while we are in their facility.”