The Regina Police Service wishes to advise the public and the media that the weapon used in the December 5th incident at Balfour Collegiate has been recovered. It was found in a search of the residence where the 15 year-old accused male was taken into custody: in the 1500 block Montague Street. The weapon seized from the residence is a CO2 BB gun, or air pistol. The weapon has the appearance of a real firearm and investigators believe this was the weapon seen by witnesses at Balfour Collegiate. This CO2 BB gun was not loaded with any ammunition.
The Regina Police Service wishes to stress that a police response to any report of a firearm will ALWAYS assume that the weapon is a real firearm, until more is known. The response to yesterday’s incident at Balfour Collegiate was a full-scale, appropriate police response to the potential threat posed by a suspect with a real firearm. The fact that this firearm turns out to have been an imitation firearm – a CO2 BB gun – does not make the response less appropriate or the charges faced by the 15 year-old accused any less real. It is fortunate that no one was harmed in this incident.
The Regina Police Service thanks the staff and student bodies of both Balfour Collegiate and Miller Comprehensive, as well as school families and members of the general public for their cooperation throughout this emotion-charged event. The Regina Police Service will follow up with both schools to offer support and reassurance as necessary.