Teen charged after school shooting threat in northern Alberta

A 13-year-old boy has been charged with uttering threats after making a school shooting threat in Sexsmith, a community about 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton in the Grande Prairie region.

RCMP from Clairmont responded around 11:30 a.m. on June 4 after receiving a report that a student was threatening firearm-related violence toward other students at a school in Sexsmith. Officers questioned several students, identified a suspect, and arrested the teenager. Police also went to his home, where they seized a gun.

"We took this threat seriously and partnered up with the school in order to handle this investigation in a quick and decisive way," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Short, Clairmont RCMP detachment commander. "We want to thank the members of the public who came forward with their concerns and helped avoid what could have been a tragedy."

The boy appeared before a justice of the peace and remains in custody. He is set to appear in youth court in Grande Prairie on June 10. Because he is a minor, he cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The threat comes roughly four months after a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on February 10, which left nine people dead.