Laval police say four people were sent to hospital Friday evening after a shooting occurred at a park outside of Collège Montmorency in Laval, Que., north of Montreal, prompting the second school lockdown of the day in the province.
Authorities say they received a 911 call at 5:22 p.m. and found at least one of the victims seeking refuge inside the CEGEP. Police Sgt. Genevieve Major says the school was locked down for several hours as a precaution but there was no sign of an active shooter inside the building.
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The four victims were hospitalized and treated for gunshot and glass-related wounds, but officials say there is no fear for their lives.
Quebec Premier François Legault issued a reaction to the incident on Twitter, calling the event “troubling” and said that province’s public security minister François Bonnardel was working with law enforcement.
He said his thoughts are with the victims and their close ones, adding that “we will relentlessly fight gun violence in our streets to keep Quebec a safe place.”
The City of Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer also issued a statement, saying he was close to the situation and in contact with local authorities.
No arrests have been made as of Saturday morning as police are still searching for at least one suspect who is still at large. The school remained under lock down until 9:30 p.m. when authorities began releasing classes in groups of 20 to 25. All 500 affected students and staff had been cleared out by around midnight.
Mayor Boyer is set to hold a news conference on Saturday alongside the Laval chief of police Pierre Brochet.
This comes after a different incident led to another hours-long lockdown at a Quebec college in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu earlier in the day Friday. It involved the arrest of a 19-year-old who was wearing a bulletproof vest and uttering threats on campus. There were no injuries and police say there is no connection between the two events.