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Parents in a small southwestern Manitoba community allege a 14-year-old boy charged in connection with a school attack threat had a history of threatening others, in some cases holding other youth at knifepoint.
Three individual parents of teens who attend Rivers Collegiate in Rivers, about 225 kilometres west of Winnipeg, allege the accused youth threatened their children with a knife — and in one case said RCMP became involved.
CBC has agreed not to name the parents due to their concerns for the safety of their families.
“I feel like a lot could have been done for that child before he got to this point,” said one parent, whose daughter spoke with RCMP.
“This didn’t happen overnight. There was years and years of warning signs, and this child was really screaming out for help.”
The 14-year-old was arrested on March 16, after police in Bridgewater, N.S., said they were alerted by the international police agency Interpol and the FBI about online communications between the Rivers teen and a 15-year-old in the Nova Scotia town.
Investigators believe the teens were planning simultaneous attacks at schools in their communities, police said last month.
The teens, who can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, have both been charged with uttering threats.
Mental health supports needed: parents
A second Rivers parent told CBC that before his arrest, the accused 14-year-old pulled a knife on their two children and two friends, including the first parent’s daughter.
The second parent didn’t go to RCMP, but believes the other parent involved did bring concerns to police.
RCMP told CBC in a statement that because the case involves a youth, they can’t comment on whether the accused teen had past interactions with police.
The parents CBC talked with said the focus now needs to be on healthy minds and finding community connections.
“There’s not a lot for mental health, and I wish that they had more places for teens and children that have mental health issues,” said the second parent. Other parents also need to make sure they’re checking in with their kids, they said.
The third parent said they want to see the situation addressed, and hope if parents notice their child is struggling, they talk to somebody.
“You need to say something, and you need to say … ‘This doesn’t seem like normal behaviour,'” the third parent said. “Let’s get this dealt with, because there needs to be a conversation.”
Kids need information, not rumours: student
Riley Frost, a 16-year-old student at Rivers Collegiate — which has fewer than 150 students in Grades 7-12 — says youth feel adrift after the threat, and need more information and support.
“I feel like it’s more from rumours,” said Frost, who does not know the accused.
“I’ve seen briefings from RCMP, like, ‘Oh, the kid was arrested’ … and just a court date, but there’s nothing really that’s said.”
Frost hopes this incident serves as a wake-up call to build mental health support in rural communities.
“There’s not a lot of psychologists in this area.… We need more,” said Frost. “The health-care system itself just needs to be better that way.”
The allegations against the two teens have not been tested in court.
The 14-year-old is scheduled to appear in court in April. The 15-year-old co-accused had a court appearance in Nova Scotia on March 23 and was expected to remain in custody until a bail hearing this month.
Some parents in Rivers, Man., allege a 14-year-old charged in a school attack plot had a history of threatening other children with a knife. They say the community needs better mental health support.
