ON Saturday, October 19, Richmond RCMP were contacted by the Richmond School District in regards to alleged online threats made against a school in Richmond. The threats were posted online and indicated a shooting would take place at a specified school on Monday, October 21.
Richmond RCMP worked in collaboration with the Richmond School District to conduct this investigation with the safety and security of the school community being paramount throughout.
Based on the investigation, officers from Richmond RCMP General Investigation Section (GIS) identified and arrested a youth suspect on October 21. Based on all of the information gathered to date, there is nothing to indicate this threat was being followed through on. As such, there is no further threat or concern for safety, police said.
“This type of threat is extremely serious and we want to assure the public we took every measure possible to identify the suspect as swiftly as possible,” said Inspector Michael Cohee, Richmond RCMP Investigative Services and Community Engagement, on Tuesday.
“We recognize this type of threat can cause concern in our community. We want to stress that in addition to gathering investigative evidence, our officers were continually conducting risk assessments and putting measures in place to ensure the safety and security of our community.”
As part of the risk assessment, Richmond RCMP officers from the frontline and youth sections, provided a visible presence at the school throughout the day on October 21. In consultation with the Richmond School District, Richmond RCMP said they will continue to provide an increased visible presence at the school to help them feel safe as the school continues to operate with their regular day-to-day activities.
Richmond RCMP encourages anyone who comes across potential online threats to immediately contact their police of jurisdiction.
Anyone who may have information regarding this file is asked to call Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212 and quote file number 2024-33268. Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact CrimeStoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit them online at www.solvecrime.ca.
