Girl, 13, arrested after second threat ‘to do harm’ at Elmwood High School

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This article was published 17/12/2024 (596 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 13-year-old girl was taken into custody Tuesday in connection with the second of two unrelated online threats made to Elmwood High School this week.

Bomb threats were made by email to Elmwood and Oak Park high schools at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, saying harm would come to the schools Monday. Both schools were closed Monday as police investigated.

“The major crimes unit, with the assistance of other law-enforcement agencies, determined these threats were sent as a malicious hoax to incite public panic,” the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

No one has been arrested in connection with the threats made Sunday night, and police continue to investigate.

On Monday night, police were informed of a social-media post containing an unrelated threat “to do harm” at Elmwood High School Tuesday. The school was closed in the morning while police investigated further and reopened for afternoon classes with additional staff and an increased police presence.

Some staff were outside to welcome students back for afternoon classes.

“It’s been hectic,” one Elmwood student said on the way inside.

Police said the girl arrested had been turned over to the major crimes unit. No charges had been laid against her as of early Tuesday afternoon.

“Police do not believe there is any threat to safety for Elmwood High School in relation to the social-media post,” the WPS release said.

Const. Dani McKinnon could not say whether the teen was a student at Elmwood.

McKinnon said parents flagged the posts Monday evening.

“The (Elmwood) administration was basically inundated by reports of this social media posting,” McKinnon said, adding that investigators were able to put the pieces of the puzzle together to identify a suspect quickly.

Elmwood’s acting principal, Amie Johnston, sent an email to staff members about the situation Tuesday morning.

“We know this situation is unsettling, and we truly appreciate your understanding and support,” she wrote in the email.

Winnipeg School Division superintendent Matt Henderson said an anonymous post made Monday night claimed someone would be entering the Elmwood school with weapons during the noon hour Tuesday.

“We contacted Winnipeg police immediately and they began investigating,” he said. “This morning, we made the call at about 6:30 a.m. to go into lockdown. We didn’t want kids or staff reporting to the school.”

Henderson said police determined at 7:30 a.m. that there was no ongoing threat and decided to reopen the school for afternoon classes.

“The school is completely safe,” he said.

One mother dropping off her 12-year-old son for his Grade 7 class said she had to take a work-from-home day Monday and took Tuesday off altogether.

“He can stay home on his own but I wanted to just be around (for him),” the mother said. “A little worried, but glad they closed and glad they had notifications and reports and took the action that’s needed.”

The closure included the Munroe Early Childhood Education Centre, a daycare that operates in the school.

“I’m angry,” Henderson said. “When you think there are close to 900 kids, with the daycare at Elmwood, the impact on families, the lives of Winnipeggers — it’s substantial.”

Henderson said parents were left scrambling to find care for their children, and there was an emotional impact, as well.

“Schools are safe, but for a moment, people are making a threat on them, and that causes emotional duress,” he said. “That’s frustrating, and it makes people angry, and justifiably so.

“Parents have been very gracious and thankful we’ve been very cautious about all of this, because it is the lives of children.”

Meanwhile, Winnipeg police worked with other police agencies across the country Monday after similar bomb threats were made in Alberta.

Several schools in Calgary, three in Red Deer and one in Lethbridge were also threatened.

The WPS has yet to determine where the emailed threats originated from, but early investigations in Alberta suggest they could have come from outside of the country.

“These are much more complicated,” McKinnon said. “There’s a belief they are trying to incite public panic and public fear, cause chaos in the community, which they obviously do, cause chaos to the school administration and then law enforcement must react.

“We know, collectively in law enforcement, there are organizations that do these things willingly.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca