Sunshine Coast RCMP responded swiftly this morning to a report of a man with a rifle in Gibsons, however the weapon turned out to be pellet gun.

Police say shortly after 8:30am on Friday they received third-hand information that a man had been seen holding a rifle on Gower Point Road in Gibsons. In a statement RCMP say the witness was a passenger on a bus and ‘notified the bus driver, whom notified their dispatch, whom called police’. Due to the number of people involved police say it took considerable time to contact the passenger and speak with him directly.

The high-risk nature of the report from the resident, as well as the uncertainty of where the suspect had been seen, meant police blocked off several streets in the area as a precaution.

Once the suspect’s location was confirmed, police say officers moved in on a residence in the 500 block of Gower Point Road and were able to speak with the male. They determined he had in fact been using a pellet gun to shoot at crows in the trees in his backyard. There was no rifle involved, and police say they don’t believe there was any risk to the public.

Constable Harrison Mohr with the Sunshine Coast RCMP says that it’s important they respond appropriately and take all necessary precautions until they can determine there’s no threat when a call is received that someone might be carrying a gun in a residential neighbourhood.

Mohr says; “In this case, because of the difficulty we faced in contacting the original witness to determine the specific location of the suspect, we had to widen our safety perimeter until we confirmed exactly where the suspect had been seen.”

The suspect was arrested briefly, but was released with no criminal charges expected. However RCMP say he may face a bylaw fine for shooting at crows.

Police are reminding the public that items such as pellet guns or imitation firearms can look very real and threatening to others and are treated as real until confirmed otherwise.

 

Filed under: Gibsons, Gun, Police, RCMP, Sunshine Coast