PORT HARDY, B.C. – The Port Hardy RCMP has confirmed that Tuesday’s school shooting threat at Port Hardy Secondary was not real.
According to Staff Sergeant Wes Olsen, students were heard joking about “shooting up the school” by a staff member on Tuesday, June 5.
Port Hardy Secondary staff confronted the students and police were called in relation to the comments.
The RCMP attended the school and interviewed the students and spoke with their parents. The students said they were “just joking” and apologized for their actions, Olsen said.
He noted that police confirmed with the parents that the students did not have access to firearms. The school’s lock-down procedure was not initiated or required during the incident.
The comments made by the students met the criminal definition of uttering threats.
However, Olsen said the RCMP is not recommending any charges because the students “readily apologized for their behaviour, were remorseful and are being sanctioned by the school.”
Olsen stated that in this case, the students were deemed to not be a threat to the school’s safety.
He noted that school staff was able to effectively deal with the situation internally.
