Police investigated yet another threat that turned out to be a false alarm involving a school in northwest B.C.
Mounties in Kitimat received information from Mount Elizabeth Secondary School on Monday morning about a Facebook post depicting a gun and knife, with the messages “Coming back to Kitimat with these” and “Big city girl is back IG.”
Const. Kurtis Fink said they found the person responsible and determined there was no danger to the public.
Officers had already been posted at Mount Elizabeth and Skeena Middle School in Terrace that day, following multiple threats made in the last week that were later deemed to be low-risk.
Superintendent Katherine McIntosh posted a statement online on Sunday about a social media post that appeared to target both schools.
READ MORE: Concerns eased over threat against Skeena Middle School
“Please be informed that school district officials were alerted to a concerning message posted on the Facebook Terrace Buy & Sell at 3:00 p.m. today, May 12. We have been aware that the messages have been posted from both the Terrace and Kitimat communities,” McIntosh wrote on the Coast Mountain School District’s website.
“The RCMP and Safer Schools Together have determined this is a low-level risk event.”
Last Tuesday, a message reading “School shooting Thursday or Friday” was written on the mirror of a boys’ washroom at the Skeena school.
“We immediately activated our multidisciplinary violence threat risk assessment process, which involves police and other key community partners,” principal Phillip Barron later wrote in a letter to parents.
“The threat was determined to be low risk and steps were immediately taken to address the concern and ensure appropriate supports were in place for all concerned.”
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Nevertheless, police were posted on school grounds for the rest of the week.
On Friday, district officials were informed of another threatening message on social media, again found to be low-risk.
McIntosh said school staff and parents were kept informed throughout the week and counsellors were available.
“The school district will be conducting its own investigation into these incidents. The school district has activated its multi-disciplinary Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) process. This involves the RCMP and other community partners,” she said.
Parents took to social media to voice their concerns, with some deciding to keep their children home Friday despite the school’s decision to stay open.
READ MORE: Prince George school evacuated after threats made: RCMP
