Youth charged with threats against school resource officer after online gamer report
By Peggy Revell on March 17, 2018.
prevell@medicinehatnews.com @MHNprevell A Medicine Hat youth faces charges after another half a continent away alerted police to threats against a local school resource outreach officer. The incident occurred in February, said MHPS Insp. Tim McGough, when a Grade 10 male at a local high school was playing an online game and disclosed the threats to another youth who resided in Massachusetts. The two did not know each other, save for through the online game. This youth reported the threats to their own outreach officer at school. Police authorities contacted Medicine Hat police, who conducted an investigation. The youth was identified and admitted to police his plan was to stab the constable in the neck when he had his back turned and then take his gun and kill as many students as possible. McGough said the youth was charged with threats, and he is now subject to a 30-day psych assessment. “We did believe there was no risk to the public. People can make threats, and not necessarily carry them out. But the fact that somebody was a recipient of a threat, it is a criminal offence,” said McGough, adding the officer had been directly named in the threat. McGough said it was coincidental this incident occurred in the same timeframe of the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. where 17 people were killed by a gunman. He advised the public to contact police if they see threats being made online. “We look into everything. We want to exercise our due diligence and we want to maintain public safety,” he said. “We will always look into something and make sure the risk is minimized as much as possible.” 11
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