THUNDER BAY – NEWS – Classes are set to resume at local high schools on Tuesday morning following the closure of Westgate Collegiate and St. Patrick’s High School due to an online threat.
The Thunder Bay Police Service is continuing to investigate those threats made to St. Patrick and Westgate High schools.
As a result of their investigation, which included members of the TBPS Cyber Crime Unit, the location of the originator of this threat has been identified and it has been determined that there was no actual safety risk to the public.
Police were originally made aware of a potential threat that was posted on Snapchat after 8 pm on Thursday, October 10, 2019. The snap featured a photograph of what appeared to be a rifle with a caption “Watch out Westgate”.
The complaint was immediately handed over to the Service’s Major Crime Section and officers continued to investigate.
Then on Friday morning Police learned of a second post featuring a similar photograph and caption, which appeared to direct a threat toward St. Patrick High school. Further investigation determined the post was consistent with a threat targeting that school.
The Thunder Bay Police Service’s Cyber Crime Unit and various other police resources have been used to advance this investigation.
Police would like to remind the public that threats of this nature will be taken seriously by police and the origin of these threats will be thoroughly investigated. Charges may be laid even if no threat was made but the intention of the post was to cause mischief.
Police would also like to remind parents to have a conversation with their children about posting responsibly on social media.
For up-to-date information about the status of local schools please visit school boards’ social media accounts and websites:
– Lakehead Public Schools https://twitter.com/LakeheadSchools
– Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board https://twitter.com/tbc_schools
– Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boreales https://www.facebook.com/csdcab
Thunder Bay Police ask if you see suspicious activity on social media, please report it immediately.
