Shooting threat at EESS a hoax

A claim that surfaced online at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, March 1, about students supposedly planning to shoot up East Elgin Secondary School the next day was investigated by Aylmer Police and found to be nothing but a fake.

Still, the usually crowded parking on streets around the school was much lighter through Monday, and some parents reported keeping their teens at home after being alarmed by the Internet rumour.

An intensive investigation occupying three officers was launched by Aylmer Police after the rumour was first reported there, Chief Kyle Johnstone said.

Officers tried to track down the origin of the story, but whoever had started it had done so on Snapchat, an online service where messages “self-destruct” after a certain amount of time, leaving no apparent trail.

However, he said, if they could be found, the originators of the rumour could be charged with criminal mischief.

For the full story, see the March 4 edition of The Aylmer Express.