Two Montreal colleges went into lockdown on Friday as a result of a gun-related incident at 5:30 pm local time (22:30 GMT).

According to police reports, four individuals who got wounded by gunfire hid in the Montmorency College in the suburb of Laval and were later taken to hospital with non-serious injuries. 

Nearly 10,000 students and faculty members remained locked inside building facilities throughout the evening as police searched for the shooter. 

A 19-year-old man who wore a bulletproof vest was later arrested near a junior college 40 kilometers south of Montreal for allegedly uttering threats.

The mayor Stéphane Boyer tweeted on Friday: "I am closely following the situation unfolding at Collège Montmorency, following the call that was received by the Service de @policelaval, following a shooting. I am in close contact with the Laval police as the police operation is ongoing and the situation evolves."

Je suis de près la situation qui se déroule au Collège Montmorency, suite à l'appel qui a été reçu par le Service de @policelaval, suite à une fusillade. Je suis en contact étroit avec la police de Laval alors que que l'opération policière est en cours et que la situation évolue.

— Stéphane Boyer (@StphanBoyer) November 11, 2022

Students and staff at another college in Montreal, the Cegep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu,  were ordered to barricade themselves in classrooms and turn off the lights for the rest of the afternoon.

"At the beginning we were very scared," student Alejandra Montequin told reporters. "It was very tense, people were talking to their parents."

Quebec Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel said in a Tweet, "The shooting near Collège Montmorency is disturbing. @fbonnardelCAQ is in contact with law enforcement. My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. We will relentlessly fight gun violence on our streets to keep QC a safe place."

La fusillade près du Collège Montmorency est troublante. @fbonnardelCAQ est en contact avec les forces de l’ordre. Mes pensées vont aux victimes et à leurs proches. Nous combattrons sans relâche la violence armée dans nos rues pour que le Qc reste un endroit sécuritaire.

— François Legault (@francoislegault) November 12, 2022

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