Amherst Police say they have located a person of interest after they received a call on a possible sighting of a person with a firearm.
There is no threat to the public at this time, police said.
Dwayne Pike, Chief of the Amherst Police Department, said officers were able to identify an individual through information received by callers, after notifying residents through social media.
Pike said the initial report said the person was wearing a bullet-proof vest. He told Global News the individual identified was wearing a tactical vest, one that may look like something military personnel might wear.
Pike was not able to confirm whether the individual had a firearm and said the investigation is ongoing.
Police first posted on their Facebook page around 1 p.m. that they were responding to a call in the area of Church and East Pleasant streets.
About 45 minutes later residents of Amherst received a localized emergency alert regarding the police’s search for an individual.
The Chignecto-Central Regional Centre for Education posted to Twitter that Amherst Regional High, Spring Street, EB Chandler, and West Highlands schools were “in a Hold & Secure due to a potential ongoing police situation in Amherst.”
That hold and secure has since been lifted.