A suspected gunman who triggered a school lockdown in West Sussex was actually a boy in fancy dress with a toy gun, police have said.
A large police presence, including armed officers, responded to reports of a gunman on Frith Road in Bognor Regis at around 11.10am on Wednesday.
Nearby schools were advised to enter a temporary lockdown as officers searched the area.
Pupils were left “hysterical and sobbing” after being locked inside the school and were unable to call their parents, according to reports.
But in a surprising turn of events, the suspected gunman turned out to be a 14-year-old boy in fancy dress.
Schools in the area reopened later that day.
Officers are in contact with the young boy and his family.
The main school affected by the lockdown was The Regis School, a secondary academy with around 1,600 pupils, which is next door to the Arena Sports Centre.
A mother who has two children at the school, said her daughter was “hysterical and sobbing” following the lockdown.
“I have gone down to collect my children and they are just hysterical. I have never witnessed anything like that,” she said.
“There are children in the leisure centre next door who were stuck in there for two or three hours. There are children climbing over fences to get out.”
Chief Inspector Dave Groombridge of Sussex Police said: “I’d like to reassure the community that we have identified the person who was subject to these reports, a 14-year-old local boy who was wearing fancy dress.
“We have visited him and his family, and can confirm he had a toy gun with him at the time and was not in possession of any offensive weapons.
“I appreciate this incident will have understandably caused concern in the community, however I am confident that those who called it into us did so with the best of intentions. Public safety is our priority, and due to the nature of the calls received, we deployed multiple units to the surrounding area.
“I am pleased to say there is no threat to the wider community.”
