A 19-year-old man has been charged with a threat against a Hamilton school that caused it to close on Friday.
Hamilton police on Wednesday launched an investigation into various threats against schools in the city after text messages were discovered at bathroom stops. It is unknown at this time what he meant by this.
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board issued letters about the investigation to three separate schools, including Westdale Secondary School, located near Main Street and Longwood Road South, where students said there would be a police presence on Friday. ‘school.
However, on Thursday evening, the board issued another letter to Westdale students and families saying the school would close on Friday as a precaution, due to new information “about a potential threat to school safety” .
Police on Friday morning said they made an arrest in connection with a threat at that school.
A 19-year-old man, who was not identified by police, has been charged with two counts of total threat of causing death or bodily injury.
He has been released on bail.
Police said threats have been written to nine different Hamilton schools and that they hope to make more arrests in the coming days.
“Hamilton police recognize the importance of school safety and how such a threat can be difficult for students, staff and their families. Police take incidents like these very seriously and will continue to work closely with school boards. to help identify the perpetrators and present the appropriate criminal charges when a suspect is identified, “they wrote in a press release.
The board said Westdale students and families will receive another notice Sunday about updates to reopen Westdale.
Social work services will be available to students when the school reopens.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (905) 546-4925 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
Threat to Richmond Hill School
Meanwhile, a Richmond Hill high school was also closed Friday for a police investigation.
Students at Alexander Mackenzie High School, located near Major Mackenzie Drive East and Yonge Street, are distance learning today due to an “ongoing police investigation related to a threat,” a school board representative said. from York District to CP24.
This school will reopen to students for face-to-face learning on Monday, June 6th.
As a precautionary measure, Alexander Mackenzie HS will switch to remote learning on June 3, 2022. The bus and taxi service for the routes serving the school will be canceled.
Families, see your email for more information.
– York Region DSB (@YRDSB) June 2, 2022
Threats to Hamilton and Richmond Hill come after two teenagers were shot dead on Tuesday in Toronto high schools within hours of each other.
One incident occurred at Bishop Marrocco / Thomas Merton Catholic High School and the other at Weston Collegiate Institute.
The victims suffered injuries that did not endanger their lives. Three teenagers were arrested in connection with the events.