GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. — RCMP in northwestern Alberta are praising two young kids for doing the right thing when they found a loaded handgun ditched by a shooting suspect.
"The children were astute enough to not touch the weapon and immediately notified a parent," Grande Prairie RCMP said in a release.
Officers were called to the city's west side on Wednesday to investigate reports of shots being fired at a business.
A male suspect fired at some people before taking off in a vehicle with police in pursuit.
Somewhere along the way he tossed the weapon.
Ayrabella Metselaar, who is six, and her five-year-old brother, Junah, found the gun in their backyard.
"At the time you dismiss it, right, because you've got a five year old and a six year old and their imaginations go wild," said the kids' dad, Darren Metselaar.
![](https://media.darpanmagazine.com/library/uploads/news/content/gun5#@</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
"what could be a gun to them could be a garden scoop or any other inanimate object. as a parent i feel proud, but at the same time very, very blessed and lucky and just so happy nothing bad happened."</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
ayrabella and junah were given a tour of the rcmp detachment thursday, as well as awards, for doing the right thing.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
matthew james bergeson, 32, of grande prairie is to appear in court monday on 15 charges, including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, resisting arrest and various weapon counts.</div>.jpg)
MORE National ARTICLES
$23-Million Boost To B.C.’s Guns And Gangs Strategy
The funding will bolster public safety in Surrey, Williams Lake and other communities that have seen recent spikes in violent, public gang activity, through a three-pillar approach focused on:
$23-Million Boost To B.C.’s Guns And Gangs Strategy
Over 100,000 celebrated Canada’s Birthday in Surrey
“Surrey is proud to host Western Canada’s largest Canada Day celebration,” said Mayor Linda Hepner.
Over 100,000 celebrated Canada’s Birthday in Surrey
Destination China – New Export Market Opens Up For Fresh B.C. Blueberries
British Columbia’s fresh blueberries are known as small wonders and now they are being welcomed in a big market.
Destination China – New Export Market Opens Up For Fresh B.C. Blueberries
69 Families Still Displaced After Explosion In Mississauga, Ont.: Firefighters
Fire Chief Tim Beckett says those include residents from 32 apartments in a nearby building and 37 other homes.
69 Families Still Displaced After Explosion In Mississauga, Ont.: Firefighters
Junior Officer Blamed For Shuttering Ottawa Kid's Lemonade Stand, Ottawa Agency Apologizes
The girls, aged seven and five, set up the stand on a grassy median of an Ottawa parkway that's closed to vehicular traffic on Sundays and opened to cyclists, roller bladers and others on foot.
Junior Officer Blamed For Shuttering Ottawa Kid's Lemonade Stand, Ottawa Agency Apologizes
Judge postpones 'Internet Black Widow' case until August
HALIFAX — The case against the "Internet Black Widow," the elderly woman who gained notoriety for killing and poisoning men who were her intimate partners, has been postponed another month.