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Police say a student with an apparent gun who prompted a lockdown at Mother Teresa High School and surrounding schools Tuesday was thankfully armed only with a fake.

Insp. Glenn Wasson said the weapon was a replica, possibly a handgun, and the youth was reached by cellphone. He surrendered in the school’s library and was arrested.

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Police said shortly after 4 p.m. that students from Mother Teresa and surrounding schools were being released but that Longfields Drive would remain closed except to school buses. Parents could pick up their children but might have to walk, police said.

Ottawa police tweeted at around 2:30 p.m. that people should avoid the Longfields Drive area due to the investigation. All schools in the area were locked down.

A witness described a suspect being led away as short with black hair and a scruffy beard.

Police had said during the search that they “know who it might be.”