RCMP respond to handgun complaint outside Kelowna home

KELOWNA — Reports of a man seen pointing a gun outside a Kelowna home Saturday night led to the arrest of four people.

It turns out the firearm was an airsoft pistol, which is a replica firearm, but police took the matter very seriously.

“When reports of this nature are made, police must respond accordingly to ensure both the safety of the public and the safety of the responding officers,” said Cst. Jesse O’Donaghey in a news release.

“There is always the real possibility that a police officer may perceive a deadly threat and respond with irreversible consequences.”

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O’Donaghey said it was shortly before 8 p.m. that police got a report of a man seen pointing a handgun at a residence in the 2400 block of Longhill Road, in the Glenmore area.

The suspect got away in a vehicle before police got there.

“Officers made contact with the owner of the residence and entered the home to ensure everyone inside was safe. A short time later investigators located the suspect vehicle and detained the four occupants inside,” said O’Donaghey.

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Since then, all four have been released from custody and are not facing any charges.

O’Donaghey has some advice for anyone using a firearm.

“Appropriate safety measures should always be taken when using firearms, air soft guns, pellet guns, paintball guns or anything that may be perceived to be a firearm,” said O’Donaghey.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Appropriate safety measures should always be taken when using firearms, air soft guns, pellet guns, paintball guns or anything that may be perceived to be a firearm," said O'Donaghey.

“When being transported in a vehicle these items should be secured in a case in the trunk of the vehicle and never handled by occupants of the vehicle. Most importantly they should only be used in designated areas only, such as gun club ranges, paintball ranges, etc.”