A 36-year-old man is in custody awaiting a psychological examination after a threat was called into the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) campus last week.
Brian Daniel Morrison is charged with one count of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm after the incident at around 6:30 a.m. on April 11.
At that time the Chilliwack RCMP received the report about the UFV campus located at Canada Education Park on Caen Avenue.
General Duty officers supported by the Lower Mainland District Emergency Response Team (ERT) immediately arrived and secured the campus perimeter.
RCMP investigators quickly identified Morrison as a suspect and he was taken into custody without incident at a residence on the other side of the city in the 9400-block of Cook Avenue.
“Public safety is paramount and the speedy deployment of RCMP resources were responsible for ensuring that safety and the arrest of the suspect,” said Chilliwack RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Mike Rail.
After the incident, students and many UFV faculty were not immediately informed of what happened, but that’s because of the speedy arrest of Morrison, according to UFV director of communications Dave Pinton.
Pinton told The Progress also that very few if any students would have been at campus on Wednesday.
“The individual did not come to UFV and was taken into custody by the RCMP at his home off campus,” Pinton said. “He was not armed. The safety, security, and well-being of students, staff, and faculty is of paramount importance to the university.”
Pinton said senior staff at the Chilliwack campus were notified at 1:30 p.m. on April 11 via email of the incident, and all UFV faculty and staff across all campuses were informed via email on April 12.
Morrison was in court on April 12. At Crown’s request, the judge ordered him remanded in custody until April 16. He was scheduled to have a psychological assessment. Morrison was out on bail facing other charges so Crown was set to apply to have his bail revoked.
Morrison is well-known to UFV where he appears to have had a fixation for several years.
In 2014, he was convicted of one count of uttering threats to burn, destroy or damage and one of mischief after security footage allegedly caught him put crumpled newspaper in the door handles of the downtown UFV building (the old Bank of Montreal at Five Corners) and then light it on fire.
He was sentenced to 18 months probation during which time he faced nine breach charges, some of which he was found guilty.
One instructor in particular has been the subject of Morrison’s ire in online comments. On social media and in personal interactions with this reporter, Morrison insists he himself was bullied or harassed in a class at UFV many years ago.
During a bail hearing after a breach in 2014, Crown counsel told the court that Morrison told Griffin Security guard Shawn Dean a number of unusual things, including: “You will know my name by the end of the day,” and “I’m going to make them pay.”
His lawyer at the time said there were issues between Morrison and UFV.
“He believes someone from the university has been harassing him at his home.”
Morrison is also before the courts facing charges of assault, mischief under $5,000 and causing a disturbance for an alleged incident on Dec. 13, 2017. He’s due in court on that file on April 17.
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