BB guns seized from youth after ‘shoot-out’ threat in Mission, B.C.

Items seized from youth in Mission, B.C. are shown in this photo from the RCMP>

Mounties in Mission, B.C., seized BB guns from two separate groups of teens after ramping up their presence around a “family-oriented fair” over the weekend.

A social media post warning there would be a “shoot out” at the fair was flagged to the public by the Mission RCMP Friday. The person responsible was ultimately identified as a youth involved in some sort of ongoing “conflict,” according to an update from the detachment.

“Officers learned that, as part of the conflict, one youth had allegedly used a BB gun to shoot at another youth over the past week. The youth involved in the conflict confirmed that he would not be attending the fair,” a Mission RCMP spokesperson said in a statement.

On Saturday afternoon, officers were called to a parking lot near the fair for reports of a group of young people “running around with BB guns,” the RCMP said. A 16-year-old who was found with a BB gun that “closely resembled a legitimate handgun,” as well as a balaclava, was arrested and the other youth were released, according to police.

A few hours later, the RCMP received another report about a group of youth on a bus headed to the fair armed with bear spray, knives, and a BB gun. Officers detained the young people – one of whom had been part of the group police detained earlier.

“These groups of youth clearly had no regard for the family-oriented event taking place,” Mission RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Harrison Mohr said.

“Carrying bear spray and replica handguns under these types of circumstances is unlawful and unsafe and can lead to an arrest and criminal charges.”

None of the youth, according to the RCMP, were in any way linked to the original social media post.

Investigations into the two incidents are ongoing, and the RCMP’s youth liaison officer will be working with the young people to “try to resolve whatever underlying conflicts led to this behaviour,” the statement from the RCMP concluded.