A man wearing an unexpected outfit to church on Sunday morning triggered calls to the Barrington Police Department and a lockdown incident for all CCD students in the parish’s nearby school building. 

Police received a 911 call on Sunday morning, April 6, at about 10 a.m. The caller reported that there was a “suspicious male” in St. Luke’s Church, sitting by himself wearing a weighted vest over his jacket with a knife tucked into his belt. 

Police responded to the church and searched for the subject, but could not find him. Police spoke to witnesses who said the man had attended the 9 a.m. Mass and left shortly after communion. Witnesses said they did not know who the man was and there were conflicting reports about what he was wearing — some people said it appeared to be a weighted vest while others called it a tactical vest. 

Meanwhile, a large group of children were attending CCD classes and officials there decided to lock-down the building. Police remained in the area until the classes were dismissed later that morning. 

During a recent interview, Barrington Police Chief Michael Correia said a further investigation revealed that the man had been invited to Mass by a member of the church's choir. Police said the man wears a weighted vest for a medical condition, and the man denied having a knife with him at church. 

Police also said that no one at the Mass said they felt threatened by the man. 

Note: An earlier version of this article stated that the church's choir director had invited the man to Mass.