Toronto school lockdown a drill gone wrong

A lockdown drill at a Bloor Street ESL school turned erroneously into the real thing Thursday, after a student unaware of the drill sent word a gunman was in the school.

Toronto police scrambled to the Bickford Centre at 777 Bloor St. W. after a call from a citizen who had been in contact with a friend inside the school.

After a search of the school, it became obvious there had been a miscommunication, said Const. Wendy Drummond.

“˜”˜It was an emergency drill that was not communicated to everyone in the school,’’ she told reporters at about 12:30, 90 minutes after police arrived. “˜”˜There has been no gunman, there have been no injuries and the situation is now resolved.’’

At about 12:20, paramedics wheeled one woman out on a stretcher. She was moaning, a blanket covering half of her face. Const. Drummond said the woman was pregnant.

Instructor Richard Doerr said his class had gone through the first lockdown, and the second lockdown came about 10 minutes later. They spent half an hour in the class before being moved “˜”˜to safer grounds.’’