Shooting threat prompts evacuation, heavy police response at University of Victoria
For the second time this week, a threat of a shooting found written in a women's bathroom has forced the evacuation of a Victoria-area school.
Saanich and Oak Bay police descended on the University of Victoria campus Friday morning after a message was found written in a women's bathroom in the school's Cornett Building.
"We currently have a significant presence of officers at the University of Victoria," the Saanich Police Department said on social media shortly after 10:30 a.m.
"We are taking precautions to ensure that the area is safe. We will provide updates as they become available."
The Cornett Building was evacuated, and students and staff were advised to avoid the area. Police deemed the building safe around 11:30 a.m. while investigators remained on scene.
Images posted to social media showed multiple police vehicles and officers carrying rifles on campus Friday.
"The Cornett Building has now been cleared for re-entry and classes and activities within that building will resume," Denise Helm, the university's director of communications, told CTV News in a statement confirming the threat was found in the washroom.
"The message indicated the threat of a shooting, similar to other threats that had been posted in the community this week," she added.
The threat comes two days after a message found at a high school in Oak Bay, B.C., closed the school and triggered a police investigation.
Students and staff at Oak Bay High School were sent home Wednesday after a message written in the girls' bathroom threatened a shooting at the school later that day.
"While the message is similar to one found at a local high school a few days ago, we are unable to confirm at this time if the suspect(s) is the same," Saanich police said.
"We're working in partnership with the Oak Bay police to determine if there is a nexus between them," Saanich police Detective-Sgt. Damian Kowalewich told CTV News. "Because of those factors, we won't be releasing the exact verbiage that was written today."
The university remained open throughout the ordeal.
The Cornett Building houses the departments of anthropology, psychology, sociology, and the office of interdisciplinary programs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.