Two Halifax schools were briefly placed in hold and secure, as students were arriving for the first day of the year, while police investigated a shooting nearby.
Halifax Regional Police were first called around 7:30 a.m. Thursday to the 3600 block of Rosemeade Avenue, where officers found a man with gunshot wounds.
“Two men, who are believed to be known to each other, were in a dispute and one of the men shot the other. The victim was taken to hospital for non-life-threatening injuries,” police said in a release.
Officers were still at the scene looking for the suspect as students, parents and buses began arriving for the first day of school.
According to Halifax Regional Centre for Education, St. Stephen’s Elementary and Highland Park Junior High were briefly placed in hold and secure “as a precaution.”
“Families were notified. Principals were present at both sites and escorted arriving students into their buildings,” HRCE spokesperson Lindsey Bunin said.
The hold and secures were lifted later that morning “and routines are continuing as usual,” she added.
Meanwhile, police are continuing to investigate the shooting. The suspect is described as having short dark hair and was wearing a beige cardigan over a white shirt, dark baggy pants and grey shoes. He was also carrying a grey shoulder bag, according to police.