Lit firecracker the reason for lockdown at Bancroft’s North Hastings High School, police say

Reports of a possible gunshot prompted officials to place a school in Bancroft under lockdown on Thursday afternoon.

Around 12:40 p.m., Bancroft OPP responded to reports of a loud bang that witnesses said sounded like a gunshot outside of North Hastings High School on Monck Street in Bancroft, about 100 kilometres north of Peterborough.

Police say the school was placed on lockdown as officers searched the interior of the building. The school was then placed into a hold and secure while officers searched the immediate area.

Officers eventually located what they say was the source of the sound: a firecracker that was lit and placed into a metal garbage can on the school property.

OPP say the school was released from the hold and secure and classes resumed.

Police continue to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to please contact the Bancroft OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or report information online by cellphone (*677) or through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

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