What happened before a Langley school was locked down, possibly over a man with a gun

The RCMP has offered more details on the events that led up to a lockdown at Brookswood Secondary School in Langley on Wednesday.

The school was locked down in the afternoon as officers searched the school property looking for a suspicious man who may have had a gun.

READ MORE: Lockdown lifted at Brookswood Secondary in Langley

On Thursday, the Langley RCMP issued a news release saying that a 17-year-old Langley teen was believed to be the man in question.

The teen was released from police custody and bound to a number of conditions.

Police said it appeared there was a confrontation between the suspect and a Brookswood student that took place at the school in the morning.

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That incident was believed to have involved pepper spray.

Police believe the suspect later returned to the school property, and that he might have been in possession of a firearm.

Officers are investigating whether the firearm was a replica.

READ MORE: Lockdown drills are new normal amid escalating reports of public shootings

Police have not recovered the firearm in question, and they still need to interview numerous witnesses and “involved parties,” the news release said.

The RCMP said, “Rumours and conjecture on social media both during and after the events of yesterday did little to assist police in their efforts.”

Such rumours “served to hinder the investigation and escalated the anxiety suffered by the parents waiting for their children,” the news release said.

Police say they’ll continue their probe and that “documentation” will be sent to Crown counsel for consideration “if warranted.”