A man who was taken into custody by Fredericton Police on STU campus has since been released.
The Daily Gleaner reported that the man has been released and no charges were laid. Calls made to Fredericton Police from The Aquinian concerning the release have not been responded to.
On Sept. 20 STU staff noticed a suspicious individual in Sir James Dunn Hall and reported it to UNB Security.
Staff Sgt. Martin Gaudet said they got a call from UNB Security at 12:02 p.m. saying information was received concerning a male on STU campus with a firearm or weapon.
“We responded accordingly, what we call rapid deployment or possible active shooter,” said Gaudet.
The man was found quickly in the lower courtyard and placed under arrest. He had no firearm or weapons on him when searched. He was taken into custody for the police to conduct an interview.
There were no injuries.
Gaudet said the man said something that suggested he might have a weapon on him. UNB Security was then notified.
Gaudet said he is not sure if the man is a student or not, but communications officer Jeffrey Carleton said the man is not.
“Our understanding is that it is not a student,” said Carleton.
Kayla Robbins is a second year student at STU. She was in JDH when the arrest happened.
“I was in line [at the ATM] and I heard someone say that there were police driving onto the courtyard,” Robbins said. “That’s when I started paying attention.”
Robbins said the police started lining up in the center of the courtyard and she assumed they were taking pictures.
“I went to leave then I heard people say [the police] were arresting someone,” Robbins said. “I looked for someone in handcuffs and there was a guy in a big leather jacket with his hands behind his back. [The police] were walking him across [the courtyard] to a police car.”
Carleton estimated 6 police cars in the upper and lower courtyard area.
He said the emergency plan the school has in place worked well. The police, staff member and campus security all responded quickly and had the situation under control.
Carleton says STU warns students not to be worried.
“People should be vigilant. People should be aware of their surroundings,” he said. “They should also know that we have campus security and staff on site and that emergency responding is something we take seriously.”
Robbins said this incident makes her feel safer on campus than she did before.
“The fact that this guy was taken in without anything bad happening makes me feel safer,” Robbins said. “If anything bad does happen, [I know] they’re prepared.”
