Sudbury

Shelter-in-place order at Laurentian University lifted after complaint deemed to be not credible

Officers in Sudbury, Ont., continue to investigate the incident at Laurentian University to determine the origin of the call, which is thought to have been made from a U.S. area code.

Police found no evidence to corroborate initial weapons complaint

A police cruiser parked next to a large building.
Sudbury police responded to a weapons complaint Monday morning at Laurentian University. (Yvon Theriault/Radio-Canada)

Greater Sudbury police say they are investigating the origin of a weapons complaint call that threw Laurentian University under a shelter-in-place order on Monday morning. 

Authorities say they received a call shortly after 9:45 a.m. from a number with a U.S. area code. The call is thought to have been made through Google Voice, a telephone service that provides a U.S. phone number to a Google Account or Workspace user.

The caller claimed to be armed with a gun and was threatening to hold people hostage, prompting Laurentian University to issue the shelter-in-place order as precautionary measure.

Officers arrived on campus and spoke with campus security, who had not received any calls or information of individuals in distress. 

"Officers with the assistance of campus security cleared buildings with no additional information or evidence to corroborate the initial complaint," reads a news release from the Greater Sudbury Police Service.

"Based on the investigation, there is no information to suggest that there was a credible threat. There is
no risk to public safety." 

The investigation is ongoing.