Magnet Fishers and Police Dive Team Recover Gun in Green’s Creek

A magnet fishing mother and son team discovered a rifle in Green’s Creek last week that was recovered by the Ottawa Police Marine and Dive team.

Nathan  Sirois, 12, was magnet fishing with his mom, Melanie, on May 13 when their line caught something unexpected.

Magnet fishing is a way to clear shorelines of metal debris you often can’t see, for environmental, safety and recovery purposes.

“After seeing it on YouTube, Nathan got a magnet last year,” said Melanie. “We go to various bodies of water to clean up trash and hunt for metal objects for fun.”

This was their first visit to Green’s Creek, under the Sir Georges Etienne Cartier Parkway.

“We could see it in the water when it came close to the surface. It was a rifle or long gun of some sort.”

The gun came off their line before they got it out of the water. They tried to get it for another hour, but darkness set in.

Nathan knew to call the police. “I told him we’d call in the morning when it was light out,” said Melanie, “and when he got up, the first thing he asked was, ‘did you call yet?’”

They led police to the area and within 30 minutes, the dive team located the gun.

“We’re glad Nathan and Melanie reported this,” said Cst. Caroline Gallant, the Marine Dive Trail officer who located the gun. “Someone threw this in the water, intending it not to be found, so it may be evidence in a crime.”

Tests and research will be done on the gun to determine where it came from and if it’s connected to any crimes. It will take several months to get the answers.

For magnet fishers, a gun is a rare find.  “We’ve located lots of pipes, metal, some bb pellets and trash,” said Melanie, “but nothing as exciting as this before.”

This serves as a reminder that if you see something suspicious or dangerous, don’t hesitate to call police. We’d rather check to find it’s nothing than to miss something that poses a risk to the public or could potentially have evidentiary value.

Call police at 613-236-1222 and one of our Police Communicators will assess the situation.