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Pepper spray discharged at Upper Room Mission

Just after 12:30 p.m., police and firefighters received reports of pepper spray being set off; building evacuated; nobody injured
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RCMP respond to a pepper spray incident at the Upper Room Mission during lunch Wednesday.

Lunch at Vernon’s Upper Room Mission was interrupted Wednesday.

A can of pepper spray went off inside the facility.

“It was about 12:30 p.m. and there was about 70 people inside,” said Lisa Anderson, the mission’s director of resource development.

The building was evacuated and a couple of the volunteers were sent home, though Upper Room Mission executive director Rick Lavin said nobody was hurt in the incident.

It is unclear as to how or why the pepper spray was dispersed.

Nobody was arrested.

The incident resulted in the closure of the mission for the rest of Wednesday.

“We run like a restaurant so we have to clean up and disinfect everything,” said Lavin.

The mission is expected to reopen for business on Thursday.

 



Roger Knox

About the Author: Roger Knox

I am a journalist with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. I started my career in radio and have spent the last 21 years working with Black Press Media.
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