UPDATE: Four youths in custody after replica weapons prompt lockdown at Smiths Falls high school

Editor’s note: This story has been updated from its original version, when police were reporting only one youth taken into custody. The number has since increased to four.

The Smiths Falls Police Service now says four youths are in custody after a weapons-related incident prompted a lockdown at Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute earlier today, Tuesday, April 7, 2026.

Police say officers were called to the school at about 11:13 a.m. after a school official reported that a pellet gun had been seized and that other individuals may have been in possession of replica handguns.

The school was placed in immediate lockdown as officers arrived and began searching and securing the building. As a precaution, nearby Chimo Elementary School was placed under a hold and secure.

Police say students and staff at SFDCI remained in lockdown for more than an hour while officers and school administrators conducted a room-to-room search, including some locker checks.

The lockdown at the high school was lifted at about 12:30 p.m. after the building was deemed safe. The hold and secure at Chimo Elementary School was lifted earlier, just before noon.

Police say four youths, all students at the high school, were taken into custody as part of the initial investigation.

Officers seized a pellet gun resembling a Glock-style handgun and a replica .22-calibre handgun.

“Police understand the stress and concern incidents like this cause for students, staff, and the broader community,” said Smiths Falls Police Service Chief Jodi Empey. “Under established protocols between police and local school boards, incidents are managed collaboratively, with regular drills conducted to ensure preparedness.

“Our school officials and students were excellent today and we thank them for their patience.”

The investigation remains ongoing, and further information may be released as it becomes available. Police are posting pictures of the replica guns seized as an awareness to students and their parents with how close they resemble real ones if pointed at the wrong person or worse, a police officer.