Hamilton man arrested in connection to threat against Westdale Secondary School

Published June 3, 2022 at 8:49 am

Hamilton Police have arrested and charged a man in connection to a threat at Westdale Secondary School.

In a press release issued Friday (June 3), police said a 19-year-old Hamilton man was charged with two counts of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. The man has since been released on an undertaking.

Westdale Secondary School announced late Thursday that it would remain closed on Friday due to safety concerns after threats of violence were made against the school.

In a little more than a week, threats have been found written in nine different schools throughout the city, police said.

While police have not explicitly connected the events locally to the school shooting in Uvalde, the spike in threats began soon after the events in Texas, where 21 elementary students and teachers were killed by a gunman on May 24, 2022.

This latest arrest comes a day after a 14-year-old girl was arrested and charged with mischief in connection to a threat made at St. Jean de Brebeuf.