Shots fired in Gimli as schools, municipal sites lock doors

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This article was published 29/02/2024 (641 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Schools and municipal facilities in Gimli locked their doors after shots were fired in the Interlake community Thursday.

A memo from the Evergreen School Division said RCMP contacted division officials asking them to place the Gimli schools in a hold-and-secure protocol because of an “incident occurring in the community.”

RCMP later sent a news release shortly after 3 p.m. saying they were investigating a complaint of shots fired at a residence in Gimli and that nobody was injured.

“The suspect fled the scene,” police said in the release. “It is believed to be an isolated incident.”

The suspect and residents are known to each other, police said.

“RCMP are patrolling the area,” RCMP said. “Residents are asked to be vigilant and to report suspicious activity to police.”

The incident, which was not specified in the school division memo, was not connected to the schools or students. The school division memo said RCMP contacted the schools at about 1:10 p.m.

A hold-and-secure is usually called when a serious situation is taking place in a community at-large. Events that trigger these codes are usually unrelated to a school.

Rural Municipality of Gimli officials said in a social media message that the closures were ordered as a precaution.

“If you see anything unusual or suspicious — call 911. The RM of Gimli will advise the public once more information is obtained,” the social-media post attributed to the RM’s mayor and council, made before the police news release, stated.

“Please take proper precautions and stay safe.”

In a later social-media post, the RM said all after-school programs have been cancelled Thursday evening.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca