Gun Scare Closes Liberty Park Pool

Thu., June 22, 2000

The swimming pool at Liberty Park was closed for the afternoon Wednesday after a young boy thought he saw someone with a gun on the hill above the park.

A 7-year-old boy swimming with his mother said he saw a man with a gun, said Hal McGlathery, recreation supervisor with Spokane’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Everyone in the pool was herded into the changing rooms, and the police were called, McGlathery said.

The boy could not provide a description of the person or the weapon, police spokesman Dick Cottam said. No one else reported seeing anything, he said.

The incident happened around 2:40 p.m. and after police investigated, all swimmers were sent home, McGlathery said.

“We wanted to act conservatively,” he said. “The kids were pretty excited … and we closed the pool for the rest of the day.”

Police were still investigating, Cottam said. The pool will be open today.

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