Investigators have determined that threats made to a Hamilton-area high school on two consecutive days this week were “a hoax” and were made from somewhere outside the country.
Students at Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School were in lockdown on Monday and evacuated on Tuesday after phone calls were made that threatened staff and students.
Police were notified of the first two phone calls around 8 a.m. on Oct. 29. Hamilton police Supt. Will Mason said that officers were on the scene “within minutes.”
Students were told to stay inside their classrooms. The lockdown was lifted around 12:30 p.m. after police deemed the school safe.
Less than 24 hours later, police said another threat was phoned in to the school. Students were evacuated to Our Lady of the Assumption while officers from the service’s tactical unit and bomb squad searched the school.
Police had previously said the threats appeared “similar in nature,” but that the phone call on Tuesday was specifically about a bomb being in the school.
No injuries were reported in either incident, but some students reported feeling unwell and were treated by paramedics.
In a news release issued Wednesday, Hamilton Police Service said that investigators had not found anything to validate the threats.
“Hamilton police are confident the calls originated from the same source and were placed from outside the country to cause panic,” the release said. “There is no ongoing threat to the school community in relation to these calls.”
“Hamilton police recognize the importance of school safety and how a threat of this nature can be difficult for students, staff and their families. Police take incidents like these extremely seriously.”
Investigators also said they will continue to work towards identifying the person responsible for the threats.
Anyone with information is being asked to contact police at 905-546-3851 or to reach out to Crime Stoppers anonymously.
