By Greg Fry / James Peters

High risk police situation unfolds in Kamloops

Oct 27, 2017 | 2:50 PM

KAMLOOPS —UPDATE – As of 12:00 Midnight, police continue to remain at the site of an incident at the G&M Trailer Park. RCMP say the situation is static and contained, but say no new information will be released until the situation changes, and there are no new developments.

EARLIER-

 Kamloops RCMP remain on the scene of what they’re calling “a high risk situation” at the G&M Trailer Park, across from the Powwow Grounds on Highway 5.

Police say the situation involves an individual suspected of possessing a firearm and note there is a “significant” police presence on hand, including an Emergency Response Team.

Cpl. Jodi Shelkie asks residents in the trailer park “to remain inside their residences, and lock their doors and windows,” and to “remain inside unless advised by police.”

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The unfolding situation has closed Highway 5 in both directions at Mt. Paul Way and the Valleyview interchange.

An employee at a manufacturing plant on the Tk’emlups Reserve says he witnessed a gun battle between police and an apparent suspect this morning.

Chris Brown works at Varsteel, at the corner of Chilcotin Road and Athabasca Street.

He said he and his coworkers heard a commotion outside while on a coffee break and noticed a man in a green pickup truck being pursued by several police officers.

“We heard the first shot and then got up to go see what that was because tires had screeched first,” said Brown. “(We) got up to go and look and there was police everywhere. Then he shot again, it was like ‘pop pop pop pop pop’ of return fire from the police.

“It was surreal. Like straight out of TV, but being right there.”

Brown says the suspect was able to escape, and likely ended up at the G&M Trailer Park, where police are focused now.

After the situation calmed down, Brown noticed a bullet hole on the outside of the Varsteel warehouse.

“We were on coffee, so fortunately we weren’t in the warehouse when it happened.”

All students of Sk’elep School on the Kamloops Indian Band Reserve left the school today at the regular time of 2:40 p.m., but their returns home for the weekend were far from normal.

Students were bused away from the school down Shuswap Road to the Lafarge Bridge. Parents had the option of picking up their kids on the north side of Lafarge Bridge. Due to Highway 5 being closed due to the police emergency happening, the buses could be up to one hour later than usual dropping the children off.

Earlier today School District 73 advised parents that district buses would not be able to travel through the area or return students from their schools to the area under police control.

Students who live in Sun Rivers, the G&M Trailer Park or East Shuswap Road and who relied on a bus to get to and from the following schools were affected: South Kamloops Secondary School, Valleyview Secondary School, Marion Schilling Elementary School, Lloyd George Elementary School and South Sa-Hali Elementary School.