13-year-old arrested over online threats to shoot students at Guelph high school

A 13-year-old boy faces three counts of uttering threats after online posts targeted students at a Guelph high school. He was arrested at home and held for a bail hearing.

Teen arrested after online shooting threats aimed at Guelph school community

A 13-year-old boy was arrested at his home and charged with three counts of uttering threats after police say he posted messages online threatening to shoot students at a Guelph high school, cbc.ca reported Wednesday.

Guelph Police said the threats, made Tuesday afternoon, appeared in an online chat and named two specific students while also targeting the broader school community. The school's principal alerted police after other students brought the posts to their attention. Officers confirmed the school is located in the central part of the city.

A letter to families from Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute principal Audra Cook, shared with CBC News, said the school was "made aware of threats made in an online chat targeting our school community" on Tuesday. "We immediately contacted Guelph Police who investigated the situation and arrested an individual," Cook wrote. "Please know that we take situations like this very seriously, as do the police."

In a statement, the Guelph Police Service said it "recognizes the importance of school safety and how threats of this nature can be difficult for students, staff, and their families." Police added they "take incidents like this extremely seriously" and will continue working with school boards to identify suspects and lay appropriate charges.

The Upper Grand District School Board confirmed to CBC News that the school is part of its system and said it "continues to co-operate with the police investigation." A board spokesperson added that supports and resources would be made available to students.

The boy was held in custody pending a bail hearing Wednesday.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)