Threats trigger memories of Taber school shooting

Fear struck Taber last week when multiple bomb threats over a 48hour period tormented the municipality of more than 8,000, say town officials.

The incident opened wounds still healing nearly two decades after a 14-year-old walked into W.R. Meyers High School with a rifle, killing 17-year-old Jason Lang.

“Nineteen years ago, we had the school shooting here and as we went through these (bomb threat calls) there’s definitely people that came forth ... that brought up a lot of fears and feelings that were present back at that time,” Ken Holst, chairman of the Taber municipal police commission, said Tuesday.

Those fears and feelings were evermore present for six teachers who were in the school for both the deadly shooting and last week’s bomb threats.

“There was a lot of feelings of worry and rightfully so — these threats were serious and we can understand them feeling that way,” said Holst.

“As I spoke to (people involved with the shooting) over this past weekend, it seems a lot of (the healing) is put aside and it’s like they’re right back 19 years ago when they heard and felt some of this.”

Between Thursday and Saturday, police say 10 bomb threats were made to locations in Taber, about 260 kilometres southeast of Calgary, including schools, a business, the hospital and police station.

Accused in the matter is 35-yearold Justin Bagley of Elkville, Ill., who was arrested Saturday and subsequently charged with 10 counts of felony disorderly conduct in connection with the threats.

Taber police Chief Graham Abela, who worked the school shooting case in 1999, said it’s alleged Bagley targeted Taber after finding an app that allowed him to listen to the department’s police airwaves.

Police said Bagley has no ties to Taber and randomly selected the community through the app.

“It’s alleged that he felt ... if he went to Canada he may not get caught — he was quite surprised when investigators showed up at his door,” Abela said.

“It’s our indication from the investigators that this individual gained some form of gratification from listening to the police response over the scanner and that’s most likely the reason he initiated so many calls.”

The threats prompted police to evacuate parts of the town, including the D.A. Ferguson and W.R. Myers school complex.

In a letter sent home to parents Friday, the Horizon School District said two schools received “an anonymous voice message” threat, and police said “the children and staff were placed in safe areas” after the calls.

A joint investigation got underway Saturday when police in Taber contacted the Jackson County Sheriff’s office in Illinois.

In a statement, the Jackson County Sheriff ’s office said investigators were able to track the phone number used to call the targets in Taber, leading to the arrest.

Bagley was previously arrested for making a bomb threat at the Walmart in Du Quoin, Ill., where he worked in 2005, according to reports from the Du Quoin Call media outlet.

In 2015, the Southern Illinoisan reported Bagley also pleaded guilty to a charge of domestic battery in 2014 and was sentenced to serve three years in prison for violating a term of his probation.