Alleged gunman turns himself into police after an intense morning in Clayton Park, firearms turn out to be pellet guns

People in Halifax were holding their breath this morning as a man dressed in camouflage who appeared to be carrying assault rifles was spotted in Clayton Park.

Dylan Bronson lives right on the Westridge Dr., where the incident took place.

Unfortunately, for him, today’s gunman scare didn’t come as much of a surprise.

“I mean, this stuff happens here quite often actually,” he said. “Just a couple months ago there was a shooting up here and there were 20 cop cars piled up in the parking lot, so we’re not surprised when we see it.”

Bronson’s friend, Matthew Nightingale, said the Fairview-Clayton Park area is prone to these kinds of things, and he’s just glad the police were on scene in case anything happened.

“It’s never going to not happen, so as long as they’re quick to respond and nothing major happens, I mean, it’s the best you can hope for right?”

About an hour after the man was first spotted, he came out of the woods and turned himself into Halifax Police, and officers quickly learned his firearms turned out to be pellet guns.

Cst. Pierre Bourdages said the man is in custody right now, and they will be questioning him later to learn more about his intentions.

“We will be interviewing the man to see exactly what he was doing. Obviously, carrying what appears to be an assault rifle raises alarm throughout the public.”

Bourdages said it’s still too early to know whether charges will be laid.