Airport Locked Down After Musician Mistaken for Shooter

Calgary cops believe instrument caused confusion
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 21, 2018 1:06 AM CST
Cops: Musician Mistaken for Active Shooter at Airport
Westjet Airlines planes sit on the tarmac at Calgary Airport in Calgary, Canada on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010. Despite the worst economic downturn in decades, WestJet Airlines Ltd. has eked out a 19th consecutive profitable quarter, though earnings and revenue were sharply lower than in the fourth quarter...   (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Larry MacDougal)

Workers at Calgary International Airport were on edge Thursday after hearing that threats had been phoned in to the airport, which may explain a mix-up that caused an hours-long lockdown. Police say parts of the international terminal were locked down after reports of an active shooter, the CBC reports. Officers later determined that there was a band in the airport at the time, and somebody had mistaken a musical instrument for a rifle. The lockdown disrupted travel for hundreds of passengers, though Utah man James Preston, whose family was rushed into a holding room, tells the Calgary Herald he believes the response was appropriate. "I was perfectly happy to have anybody take those precautions, given the scenario," he says. (Drone sightings have been causing chaos at a London airport.)

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