Slamming door led to heavily armed police response

Heavily armed tactical officers surrounded a 12-unit apartment building in Waterloo, southern Ontario, Canada, on Saturday afternoon, after citizens and police reported gunshots.

But about two hours later, Waterloo Regional Police determined it was someone who had repeatedly slammed a door inside one of the apartments in the building. Nobody was hurt. No charges were laid, said Staff Sgt. Deborah McBride. "Apparently there was a heavy door that when it was slammed sounded just like a shotgun," McBride said.



"The officers who arrived heard it." Police were first called at 1:40pm after tenants in the building reported gunshots. When officers heard similar noises, they surrounded the three-storey building and called for backup. At least 10 police cars raced to the area to cordon off the area. Then tactical officers arrived to take over.

When they entered the building at about 4pm, they detained a man but didn't find any evidence of gunfire. "We don't know who slammed the door, but we don't think there was malicious intent," McBride said. Public safety concerns prompted the big police response, she said.