The possible firearm was found by a member of the public behind Tesco in Avenue Lane, near Union Street on the afternoon of July 19. The person who discovered the item left it unattended for about 90 seconds to meet a policeman, but when they returned, the suspected handgun was gone. "We would like to thank everybody who assisted us in getting to the bottom of this incident to resolve it safely." An Oxford police spokesman added: "Case closed... and playtime's over. The man, from Oxford, said police apologised for wasting his time, but that his mum suggested he makes an official complaint.