Masked Gunmen in University of Toronto - NOW

niversity of Toronto under lockdown after report of armed man
ALEX MIGDAL
The Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Jun. 13, 2016 10:43AM EDT
Last updated Monday, Jun. 13, 2016 11:44AM EDT
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Toronto police have closed off University of Toronto's downtown campus after receiving two calls on Monday morning about suspicious activity, including a report of a man with a gun.

Police said Queen’s Park, where the Ontario legislature sits, and nearby hospitals, including The Hospital for Sick Children and Women’s College Hospital, were also placed under lockdown in response to the reports from campus.

Police said they could not confirm news and social media reports that a man had been taken into custody around 11 a.m.

Earlier, police received a phone call at 9:20 a.m. from campus security who reported an unidentified person wearing a mask at Trinity College, which is currently under construction.

“We’re just trying to determine whether it’s someone who works there or if it is in fact someone who doesn’t belong there,” police constable Allyson Douglas-Cook said.

Police received a second call 20 minutes later from a civilian reporting a person with a gun on campus. Police have been unable to reach the caller.

“It could be assumed from the nature of the call that it might have been an officer that the person saw,” Ms. Douglas-Cook said.

The police’s Emergency Task Force (ETF) are searching the building at 6 Hoskin Avenue and have closed off the surrounding area.

On its website, the University posted a statement urging students to avoid the following buildings: Falconer Hall, the law faculty, the faculty of music, Trinity College, the Munk School of Global Affairs, the Gerald Larkin building, the Varsity Centre and all Victoria University buildings.

Students who are inside those buildings were told to stay put until further information is released. An emergency warning text was sent to students notifying them of the lockdown.

Ms. Douglas-Cook said information is limited and it’s unclear whether the two calls are linked.

“We have to take it seriously and have our units make sure that it’s safe,” Ms. Douglas-Cook said.

The area will remain closed until police are “content with the search,” she said.



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