School shooting threat in northern Alberta leads to teen being charged, gun seized

A youth has been charged after a school shooting threat was made in northern Alberta.

It happened on Thursday, June 4, in the community of Sexsmith, located about 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton in the Grande Prairie region.

RCMP from the neighbouring town of Clairmont responded around 11:30 a.m. after receiving a complaint stating a student was threatening firearm-related violence towards other students at a school in Sexsmith.

Mounties arrived, began questioning several students and identified a potential suspect. That person was then tracked down and interviewed by police.

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The student was then arrested. Police also went to the teenager’s home, where a gun was found and seized by officers.

“We took this threat seriously and partnered up with the school in order to handle this investigation in a quick and decisive way,” said Clairmont RCMP detachment commander  Staff Sgt. Matthew Short.

“We want to thank the members of the public who came forward with their concerns and helped avoid what could have been a tragedy.”

A 13-year-old boy has now been charged with uttering threats. They appeared before a justice of the peace and remain in custody.

The boy is set to appear in youth court in Grande Prairie on June 10. Because they are a minor, they can’t be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Sexsmith is about 200 kilometres away from Tumbler Ridge, B.C., where earlier this year a mass school shooting left nine people dead.

Shooter Jesse VanRootselaar first killed her mother and 11-year-old half-brother at their home before killing five pupils, a teacher’s aide and then herself, at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Feb. 10.

The school is set to be demolished and replaced with a new building elsewhere in the community.

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