The emergency department at Kelowna General Hospital was on lock-down this morning after a man threatened to shoot the hospital and himself, according to witness reports.
A large police presence could be seen at the hospital this morning at around 6:30 a.m. A passerby was taken into the hospital for safety and the man was eventually arrested.
The man was seen earlier Thursday loitering around the hospital at about 4 a.m. and was escorted out of the emergency department for being verbally abusive, said the witness.
“Kelowna RCMP responded to the 2200 block of Pandosy Street after receiving a single report of an unknown male waving a gun. Police converged on the area and located a male subject, who matched the description provided to police, in a parking lot adjacent to the hospital. Once at the scene officers were able to establish that the male was emotionally distraught. The police were successful in de-escalating the male through verbal communication. He was safely apprehended without incident and escorted to the hospital for a full assessment,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.
“RCMP worked closely with hospital officials during the event as it unfolded,” he said. “Given the nature of the complaint and the close proximity of the call to the emergency medical facility, the hospital was placed on a brief hold and secure.”
Investigators believe that no weapon was involved.
Emails were sent to KGH for comment.
@carliberry_
carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.