Youth threatened to shoot students at Yellowknife school, says lawyer

A Yellowknife youth is set to appear in court Friday after allegedly threatening to shoot three students at Range Lake North School, a lawyer working on the case has confirmed.

The youth, who can't be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was arrested Monday and charged with three counts of uttering threats.

The youth was released by RCMP on conditions to appear in court at a later date.

Crown prosecutor Andreas Kuntz told CBC News over the phone that the youth is under house arrest, and cannot leave the home without being accompanied by their mother.

According to Kuntz, the youth was sent to Edmonton for a psychological assessment over the weekend.

It's unclear when the threats were made. Yellowknife RCMP say the investigation started on March 15, with the help of Range Lake North School and the YK1 school board.

According to a release from the school board Wednesday, "a safety plan has been created for Range Lake North School and will be implemented prior to students returning from spring break" on April 3.

CBC contacted the school's principal Yasemin Heyck for comment. Heyck declined to comment on the safety plan before it's finalized, but said she has made parents and guardians aware of the incident.

"We are taking this incident very seriously and we will do whatever is necessary to ensure our students' and staff members' safety," she said in an email.

The youth is scheduled to appear in court Friday morning.