Series of threats posted online warn of possible danger for grad party

Sunrise graduation party has previously resulted in murder, assaults, fights and high levels of intoxication

Parents were warned Tuesday not to let their kids attend the annual Sunrise graduation party after shooting threats emerged on social media.

Penticton RCMP Supt. Ted De Jager said police were made aware of the threats Tuesday morning, and an investigator was immediately assigned to the file ahead of the unsanctioned party, which was slated to take place Tuesday night at an undisclosed location outside city limits.

The threats were outlined in a warning posted to a Penticton group on Facebook by a woman who claimed to be keeping her son home from the party as a result of the scare.

“This group of boys have been posting pictures (I have seen them but am not able to post them due to identity) with captions saying that they are going to hurt people at Sunset tonight and posting photos with guns pointed at the cameras,” she wrote.

“Even if you don’t think they are ‘brave’ enough to do it, why let your child risk their life just for a graduation party,” the post concluded.

De Jager suggested there are plenty of other threats posed by the party.

“I would like to take this opportunity to advise parents of high school age children that this party is a very dangerous undertaking. The location is purposefully remote, is out of range of most emergency services and is a sensitive area prone to risk of fire damage,” De Jager said in an email.

“Over the last six to seven years, this party has directly resulted in one murder, several aggravated assaults, sexual assaults, numerous fights and assaults and high levels of intoxication in underage youth.

“I am shocked that some parents even drive their children to this party and offer their tacit approval to these activities. Many of the attendees are over 19 years of age, are no longer associated to high school and provide liquor to youth in attendance.”

Sunset parties — and their Sunrise counterpart at the beginning of a new school year — are part of a Penticton tradition that has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years due to the issues cited by De Jager, and have prompted numerous prior public warnings.