On a tense Wednesday morning, two academic institutions in Leduc, namely Leduc Composite High School and École Leduc Junior High School, found themselves in a confrontational situation that necessitated a switch into a hold-and-secure mode. This reactionary safety measure came in response to threats strongly associated with an earlier assault incident, marking a distressing escalation of tensions within the local community.
Rewinding the clock to Monday, around midday, local law enforcement were dispatched to the junction of 50 Street and Corinthia Drive. The situation on the ground had rapidly deteriorated into what the RCMP would later label as a ‘violent assault’.
Caught in the quagmire were four adolescent individuals, the eldest of which was merely 16. With all four teenagers calling Leduc their home, they were subsequently charged with inflicting bodily harm as result of the assault. Following an interim period of custody, the teens find themselves poised for a court appearance slated for November 10th in their hometown.
Darkening the narrative, the recipient of the assault was, reportedly, a victim living with disabilities. Immediate medical attention followed, culminating with a hospital stay and subsequent release.
Compelling visual evidence available in the form of social media videos depicted a disturbing scene. A seemingly defenseless individual was seen viciously attacked on the ground by a number of assailants.
A short while before noon on the aforementioned Wednesday, it fell on school authorities to invoke the hold-and-secure protocols for both the high school and the junior high school in response to threats ominously pointed at students featured in the circulating videos.
In the words of Constable Cheri-Lee Smith, “This morning we received reports of some threats on social media aimed at some of the people in the video that is circulating on social media.” This prompted discussions between the RCMP and Black Gold School Division, leading to the decision for both schools to go into hold and secure mode.
The situation began to diffuse into the early afternoon, the hold and secure stance was retracted, albeit a police cordon continued to remain around the local area. Smith appealed to the public, urging that the justice system needs to run its course.
She remarked, “There is a court process in place, these youth have been charged, and that matter is now before the courts and we need to let that court process take place.”
