The Nova Scotia RCMP say a man arrested in connection with an emergency alert issued in Lunenburg County Wednesday morning was carrying a gardening tool, not a firearm.
In a social media post around 8:30 a.m., police said a “dangerous man with a firearm” was last seen on Barrs Corner Road in Parkdale, N.S., between Farmington Road and Whetstone Lake Road.
At that time, police was asking residents in the area to shelter in place and stay inside, as well as close and lock doors and windows.
In an update at 8:40 a.m., police said the man was safely arrested and there was no further risk to the public.
The emergency alert issued in the area was also cancelled.
In a news release, police said they searched the 48-year-old man’s property and learned no firearm was involved.
“The man had been holding a large gardening tool, which from a distance, could have been mistaken for a firearm,” the release says.
The man was released without a charge.
