A student at Regina Assumpta Private College in Montreal was fired Thursday after making “explicit threats” online, which led to a police investigation overnight Wednesday-Thursday. He could face death threat charges, according to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
The parents of thousands of students at the Private College Regina Assumpta, in the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville in Montreal, received a disturbing message late Thursday afternoon.
The school management told them that a police investigation carried out overnight from Wednesday to Thursday had led to the arrest of a student at the school. He had made “explicit” threats to the College on social media the day before.
“Even though the threat was not specific, and given that everyone’s safety is the top priority at the College, we, at the risk of being overly cautious, contacted law enforcement immediately,” management said. in the email sent to parents.
The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) has confirmed that an investigation was conducted starting Wednesday evening by police officers from the Ahuntsic sector and investigators from the North Criminal Investigations Division.
The police investigation made it possible to identify, in the early morning of Thursday, the origin of the message. The SPVM’s cyber investigation module collaborated, says Jeanne Drouin, media relations officer for the SPVM. Investigators were then able to identify a suspect, a 16-year-old young man.
“The police arrested a student from the College in the morning, underlines the management in his email. The investigation concluded that the author of the violent remarks did not represent a legitimate threat to the College and the members of its community. »
The suspect was met by investigators and was cooperative, Drouin said. He was released on a promise to appear at the end of March. He could face death threat charges, she said.
College students went to school as usual on Thursday. The student under investigation was expelled.
“This situation leads us to reaffirm that no message of violence or threat can be tolerated in our educational environment,” adds the management of Regina Assumpta.
The school administration was unable to grant us an interview on Thursday. “We have chosen, in accordance with our values, to act transparently with our staff members, parents and students by informing them in detail of what has transpired over the past few hours,” however, clarified by e-mail Charlotte San Agustin, responsible for communications and development of the strategic plan for the secondary school.