Student charged with attempted murder in stabbings at Halifax-area high school
Student charged with attempted murder in stabbings at Halifax-area high school
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
The teen, who will not be identified due to their age, appeared in youth court Tuesday to face the following charges:
two counts of attempted murder
two counts of aggravated assault
two counts of possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace
two counts of carrying a concealed weapon
possession of a prohibited weapon
possession of a weapon knowing it is unauthorized
mischief
The accused is due back in court for a bail hearing on Thursday.
The Public Prosecution Service told CTV News the teen will be tried as a minor, but the Crown will be seeking an adult sentence if they are convicted.
The charges stem from a stabbing incident at Charles P. Allen High School.
Halifax Regional Police responded to the school around 9:20 a.m. Monday.
Police allege the teen, who is a student at the school, stabbed two employees inside the school and then fled the building.
Officers took the youth, who was also injured, into custody in the area around 9:30 a.m. The teen was then taken to hospital with non-life-threatening stab wounds.
The two employees were sent to hospital with serious injuries.
“The situation was brought under control quickly and we applaud the quick actions school staff and first responders who were at their professional and personal best in their response,” said Halifax Regional Police Chief Dan Kinsella during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
It isn't clear how the teen was injured. During the news conference, police said they won’t be commenting on rumours that the teen’s wounds were self-inflicted.
“There are many questions members of the public have, and we ask that people avoid speculation,” said Kinsella. “We can assure you the investigation is ongoing and we are looking at every aspect and we will conduct a full and thorough investigation.”
The two employees remain in hospital. Police say they are in serious, but stable condition.
The identities of the employees have been not been released.
Police say they are treating the stabbings as an isolated incident.
“An incident of this nature is traumatic, not just for those involved but everyone in the community,” said Kinsella.
“But it is important to remember that this incident does not define our community, it does not define our schools.”
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact them at 902-490-5020 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
SCHOOL REOPENS, CLASSES CANCELLED
Charles P. Allen High School was placed under a hold-and-secure order while police responded to the scene Monday morning.
The school remained closed Monday while police continued their investigation.
Charles P. Allen reopened Tuesday afternoon, but classes were cancelled.
During a live news conference Tuesday afternoon, Lindsey Bunin, the communications officer for the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE), said the decision to cancel classes for the full day Tuesday wasn't made until teachers returned to the school Tuesday morning.
"We welcomed our staff back to the school this morning. There was a team on site of approximately 20-plus mental health professionals, school councillors, school psychologists, SchoolsPlus professionals on site to help everyone work through the tragic and traumatic events of yesterday," said Bunin.
"As the morning progressed, our on site crisis team determined that the staff required some more time to get through what they had been through yesterday before they welcomed students back into the classroom. So, the decision was made to cancel classes for the afternoon but to, of course, keep the school open. We wanted to make sure that everyone had access to the supports that they require as they work through this time."
According to Bunin, about 15 students attended the school Tuesday afternoon to work with support teams.
She says the plan is to have school reopen on Wednesday, but admits everything is "fluid right now."
"We're just trying to be very responsive to what the community needs," said Bunin.
"I certainly wasn't there, but I know that its been a difficult circumstance. They're [the teachers] understandably stressed and have anxiety from what happened yesterday. So, we're just working through that with them and making sure that they have the supports they require."
In a statement to families Monday evening, Principal Stephanie Bird initially said classes would resume Tuesday and follow a “mini day.”
“We know from past experiences and the advice of experts that returning to the routine of school is in the best interest of our students,” said Bird in her statement Monday.
“It provides a safe space for students to access supports related to their emotional well-being and their academic achievement.”
However, the HRCE released a statement Tuesday morning, confirming that the school would reopen, but classes were cancelled, based on recommendations from its crisis team.
“I sincerely apologize for the late notice and for any inconvenience,” said Steve Gallagher, the HRCE’s acting regional executive director.
Supports were still available for students and staff.
Meanwhile, police say they will maintain a presence at the school as the investigation continues and the community takes time to heal.
“This is going to be a day-by-day consideration,” said Kinsella. “We will be there as long as we need to be.”
Roughly 1,700 students attend Charles P. Allen High School.
Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference David Johnston is being questioned by MPs at committee about his role, his report into election meddling, his decision against a public inquiry, and allegations of a conflict of interest.
The number of interactions between killer whales and humans has increased alarmingly in recent years. CTVNews.ca asked an expert to explain the reasons behind the increase in interactions, explore the types of encounters, and examine the implications for both humans and killer whales.
Prince Harry entered a courtroom witness box Tuesday, swearing to tell the truth in testimony against a tabloid publisher he accuses of phone hacking and other unlawful snooping.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
Many Canadian parents are stretching themselves thin — even going as far as to postpone their retirement in some cases — in order to help pay for their children’s education, according to a new survey.
Police in Australia are investigating the suspicious death of a woman who used to live in Surrey, BC, after her body was found in her apartment on the outskirts of Sydney.
The wall of a major dam in a part of southern Ukraine that Moscow controls collapsed Tuesday, triggering floods, endangering Europe's largest nuclear power plant and threatening drinking water supplies as both sides in the war rushed to evacuate residents and blamed each other for the emergency.
A huge Soviet-era dam on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine was breached on Tuesday, unleashing floodwaters across the war zone.
Astrud Gilberto, the Brazilian singer, songwriter and entertainer whose off-hand, English-language cameo on 'The Girl from Ipanema' made her a worldwide voice of bossa nova, has died at age 83.
A grieving widow whose husband was run over and killed by a speeding OPP officer can't believe the force told her it won't hold a public hearing into the case because it decided the misconduct was 'not serious.'
Calgary-based Cenovus Energy says it has safely restarted a portion of its production that was shut down because of the threat of wildfires in northern and central Alberta.
A 53-year-old man was shot and killed in the Montreal suburb of Dorval on Monday afternoon. A source told CTV News that the victim is Francesco Del Balso, who has links to Montreal's Mafia.
The numerous forest fires raging in certain regions of Quebec have led to thousands of evacuations since the weekend and continue to threaten infrastructure on Tuesday. Temporary accommodation centres have been opened in nine municipalities on the Côte-Nord, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, to accommodate evacuees.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
Edmonton police launched a new tool Monday to encourage reports of "hate incidents," something officers believe will help them track people who may escalate to "hate crimes."
Many Canadian parents are stretching themselves thin — even going as far as to postpone their retirement in some cases — in order to help pay for their children’s education, according to a new survey.
While firefighters get more forest fires under control in northern Ontario, travel restrictions declared under an emergency order are being expanded in several communities.
A grieving widow whose husband was run over and killed by a speeding OPP officer can't believe the force told her it won't hold a public hearing into the case because it decided the misconduct was 'not serious.'
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
Marking the two year anniversary of the alleged terror attack that took the lives of four members of the same family, the board has announced an Anti-Islamophobia Strategy.
On this day in 2021, four out of five members of a London, Ont. family were killed while they were out for a walk and struck by a vehicle, in an apparently deliberate attack.
One person has died after a motorcycle crash in Lambton County. The crash happened June 2 just before 9:30 p.m. and officers responded to a ditch on Shiloh Line in Petrolia.
A Ukrainian woman who now lives in Winnipeg is hoping one day she will be able to bring her husband's remains to her new home, a place he hoped one day he too would be able to call home.
Officials are asking people living around Centennial Lake to evacuate their homes as a forest fire burns in the area west of Calabogie, Ont. An evacuation order has been extended to Wednesday afternoon.
Capital Pride will be receiving money from the federal government to cover costs of added security measures at this year's Pride parade and other events.
While Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) publicly mulled moving its downtown emergency shelter to a location on 20th Street near the city's core, city documents reveal the wellness centre's present Fairhaven area location was heavily favoured early in the process.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
The provincial wildfire service is warning British Columbians to have a go-bag and make an evacuation plan with this year's wildfire season off to an alarming start.
Many Canadian parents are stretching themselves thin — even going as far as to postpone their retirement in some cases — in order to help pay for their children’s education, according to a new survey.
Real estate experts say B.C.’s housing market is heating back after cooling off due to rising interest rates but the future is uncertain as several economists expect the Bank of Canada to hike rates again.
It’s been 79 years since the war effort known as ‘D-Day,’ which eventually led to the liberation of western Europe during World War II. The day was marked with a service in Normandy with the Royal Regina Rifles on hand.
The province is revealing its housing cards, as 37 more municipalities have been identified as the next group that will be required to create housing targets in their communities to help combat the ongoing housing shortfall.
A wildfire that has been burning out of control on Vancouver Island since Sunday morning is now estimated to cover approximately 20 hectares of dense forest near Port Alberni.
