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Student threatens to shoot staff at Duck Lake school

Sep 26, 2013 | 3:58 PM

Teachers are used to being in charge at school, but on Wednesday afternoon they needed some police backup at Stobart Community School.

About an hour after class ended, three staff members were threatened by a 15-year-old student.

According to a report made to the Rosthern RCMP, the student was in the school with each staff member when he said he was going to shoot them.

By the time the RCMP arrived, the near-empty school had gone into what it called a “hold and secure” response. They locked the outside doors and ensured the school and daycare were safe.

The RCMP took the threat at the kindergarten to Grade 12 school seriously, according to Sgt. Craig Cleary with “F” Division media relations.

“As such the police were involved and we handled it in a rather expedient manner and made sure that we were able to locate this individual and bring it to the court system,” he said.

Cleary said they can't reveal why the threats were made before they go to court, but people are currently being interviewed about just what happened that afternoon.

The RCMP members arrived within 15 minutes of the reported incidents and found no trace of the 15-year-old male.

Within half an hour of the reported threat at 4:15 p.m., they arrested the teen on the Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation.

He didn't have a gun.

“We have not been able to locate any firearms or identify any firearms he has access through a search, as well,” said Cleary.

The youth is currently in police custody. He faces three charges of uttering threats and mischief and appeared at the Saskatoon Provincial Court Friday morning.

The youth’s name cannot be released under the Youth Criminal Justice Act due to his age.

Stobart Community School released the following statement on its website:

“It is our practice in Prairie Spirit that we do not provide any names or details regarding this type of incident unless we have permission from the family or the authorities to do so which we do not have at this time. This is now a police and private family matter.”

claskowski@panow.com

On Twitter: @chelsealaskowsk