The 27-year-old man shot dead Thursday near several elementary schools in Toronto was carrying a pellet gun, Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said.

Residents of Toronto's Scarborough neighborhood called police early Thursday afternoon, reporting that a man carrying a gun was walking nearby.

Five nearby schools were then called to confine themselves for an hour as a protective measure, until the police operation was over.

Toronto Police Service Chief James Ramer said there is no longer a threat to public safety as this was an isolated event.

Frightened parents and young people

“I panicked a bit and called my mother. I have a brother who studies at this school, ”described Ayan Alam, a student of Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute, referring to the public school William G. Davis Junior.

The teacher and mother of a first grade girl going to William G. Davis Junior, Alyssa Barron, said she received an email at 1 p.m. informing the parents of the imposed confinement.

“It's so scary. So scared, it's terrifying,” reiterated the professor in an interview with the Toronto Star.

Ms. Barron and students have also referred to the killing that took place Tuesday in an elementary school in Texas.

"Instantly I was terrified because of what happened in Texas," she said.