Man arrested after schools in lockdown
A St. Catharines high school was in lockdown Wednesday morning after police said a male made a “credible threat” against a student.
Niagara Regional Police arrested a 20-year-old man about 50 minutes after staff at Holy Cross Secondary School called them at 11 a.m.
Police said the male who made the threat was in the area of Holy Cross but not on school property. Information was that he was possibly armed with a weapon.
The school immediately implemented safety plans and a lockdown.
Police notified elementary schools in the immediate area which also enacted safety measures.
“Part of our procedures is, if we can’t put an exact spot on the person that we’re looking for, we would notify those schools,” Const. Phil Gavin said. “They went into a hold and secure/ lockdown procedure until we could further communicate with them.”
Niagara Catholic District School Board’s Assumption Catholic Elementary School and District School Board of Niagara’s Port Weller Public School and Prince Philip Elementary School enacted measures for various lengths of time.
The NRP sent its emergency task unit, canine unit, uniform officers and detectives to the scene and were ready to receive assistance from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office’s helicopter.
Police were also on the verge of launching their drone to assist in finding the suspect.
“With the UAV we have the ability to cover off a significant amount of property from a whole different angle. There are a couple of wooded areas just north of essentially where he was located so that was going to be an option for us,” Gavin said.
It didn’t come to that because NRP officers located and arrested the suspect at 11:52 a.m. walking north of Lakeshore Road and Niagara Street. Police said an imitation weapon was seized during the arrest.
The north-end high school remained under lockdown until the NRP’s emergency task unit cleared the building and was lifted about 12:30 p.m.
“The school stayed in lockdown for a little while after we made the arrest just so our members could get through the building and clear it for safety,” Gavin said.
Police have not said what the relationship was between the suspect and the threatened student. Hayden Ross Walsh, 20, of St. Catharines is charged with uttering a threat.
The investigation is ongoing and police are asking anyone with information to call them.
Holy Cross Principal Denice Robertson said students were doing well Wednesday afternoon.
“I did make an announcement this afternoon just praising them and thanking them for their attention to the procedures and following the procedures that we practice,” she said. “But did indicate to staff that if anybody needed follow up we certainly have some folks in place that can speak with them.”
Niagara Catholic education director John Crocco said based on the information received from police, school and board emergency plans were implemented.
The school went into an exterior lockdown, meaning all the doors were locked and students were inside. With the NRP on scene, the school took direction from them.
“The focus always is on the safety of the students and the staff and any guests who may be in the school when a lockdown occurs,” Crocco said.
He said they appreciate the NRP for the quick response, professionalism and thoroughness as well as the response of school staff.
Students practise lockdown drills throughout the year dealing with various scenarios, whether they’re in a classroom, in the cafeteria or coming back from a co-op placement.
“It was because of the drills and the practices that our students go through in all of our schools, whether it’s lockdown drills or fire drills, that the students knew how to respond and they responded with precision,” Crocco said.
The practices happen even though real lockdowns don’t happen in Niagara very often.
“It is very rare,” said superintendent of education Ted Farrell. “And because it’s drilled and schools do such a good job with the drill, it becomes routine for the kids. The response is, there’s not a sense of panic and there is a sense of calm as they go through it.”