Thunder Bay Police Service officers with the Uniform Patrol Branch responded to complaints regarding a perceived threat against a local school just after 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
The complaint was in regards to a Snapchat post made by a person who was banned from attending St. Ignatius High School. The post indicated that despite the ban, the individual intended to visit the school.
In response to the post, other local Snapchat users began responding with speculation that the original poster was making threats against the school.
As a result of their ongoing investigation, officers located the original poster. Police learned the original poster was receiving threats from Snapchat users in response to his post. After speaking with the original poster, and following further investigation, police were able to determine the original nature of the Snapchat post was not intended to be a threat.
Police explained to the male how open-ended posts like the one he published can easily lead to panic when its meaning is left for users to interpret. The male was served a trespass notice to St. Ignatius High School.
While this threat was unfounded, the Thunder Bay Police Service is aware it has led to a great deal of fear and uneasiness in the community. The Thunder Bay Police Service has deployed its school resource officers to St. Ignatius to help ensure students can feel safe at school.
The Thunder Bay Police Service would also like to remind the public to be very cautious about the content they share on social media. Open-ended and vague posts can easily be misinterpreted by others. Meanwhile, social media posts made with criminal intent will be fully investigated and could result in charges.