Man charged in connection to gun call that placed Beaumont schools on ‘hold and secure’

A 35-year-old man has been charged with uttering threats and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose after an incident that shut down two Edmonton-area schools Monday.

Kevin Hunka of Beaumont was arrested Monday evening and has since been charged. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court in Leduc on April 26.

On Monday afternoon, Academie Saint-Andre Academy, Dansereau Meadows School and the Family & Community Support Services Association of Beaumont were placed on “hold and secure,” which meant students and staff were forced to stay indoors while police resolved the situation.

There was also a large police presence in the community as RCMP investigated a “disturbance involving firearms.”

READ MORE: Beaumont RCMP arrest man after gun call places schools on ‘hold and secure’

Police were called to a home in the Beauridge neighbourhood shortly after 1:30 p.m. RCMP said a man was barricaded in a home with a gun. No one else was in the house at the time, police said.

Since the schools were close to the neighbourhood and there are a lot of walking paths in the area, RCMP said they didn’t want to risk the children’s safety.

Parents were notified and the students were allowed to leave the schools at around 5 p.m.

Members of the Leduc and Beaumont RCMP detachments, as well as the emergency response team and police dog services were called in to assist in the situation, which was resolved shortly after 6 p.m.

“When we’re faced with unknown risks and fluid situations, we respond in a way that we are putting public safety first. It remains our number one priority. I appreciate the support of the Beaumont community.”

Beaumont is located only about five kilometres south of Edmonton.