One arrested after firearms sighting near two Hamilton schools

Two Hamilton schools, Hillcrest High School and Silverdale Normal School, were locked down Wednesday (April 2) afternoon following reports of a firearms sighting near the intersection of Silverdale Road and Masters Avenue. Police threw a cordon around the schools and one person was taken into custody.

Two imitation firearms were recovered from a residential property and police are likely to charge the person in custody. Students of both the schools allowed to leave with their parents at around 5:20 pm after the lockdown was lifted.

The incident began just before 3 pm when police received reports of a firearms sighting and responded with some officers armed “as a precaution.” The schools. too, initiated lockdown procedures to ensure student and staff safety.


Hillcrest High School’s Facebook page posted at approximately 3:13 pm, urging people to avoid the school. “Please do not come to the school. We will let you know when it is safe to release students.”

A parent present at the scene witnessed a large number of police officers , including the Armed Offenders Squad and police dogs. “I saw cop cars coming down Silverdale Rd. There were about four and that happened quite quickly, no sirens just lights.”

later, the school updated the post confirming that lockdown had been lifted. "On Wednesday 2nd April at 3:12pm Hillcrest High School implemented its emergency procedures and locked the school down, as a result under Ministry of Education instructions. Lockdown ended at 5:03pm. We realise this has caused inconvenience and stress to our community but our first priority is the safety of our students and staff. The school is satisfied the emergency processes and procedures undertaken were appropriate and carried out in the best interests of students and staff of Hillcrest High School."

By 5:30 pm, police confirmed the recovery of two imitation firearms and the apprehension of one person. The cordons were subsequently removed.