Steinbach school closes after 2nd gun threat in 2 days due to calls tied to U.S. number: RCMP

A southeastern Manitoba school closed Friday as a precaution after receiving its second gun threat in as many days — both linked to the same phone number south of the border, RCMP say.

Clearspring Middle School received the first call on Wednesday near the end of the school day. The caller suggested a student was going to bring a gun to school the next day, on Thursday, RCMP said.

Local RCMP investigated and decided the threat wasn't credible.

On Thursday, a similar threat was called in at the same time of day from the same number, which RCMP believe came from a location in the U.S. Despite believing the second threat was no more credible, the school closed down Friday as a precaution.

RCMP and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigated the calls, and tracked them to a Menasha, Wis., property. The Menasha Police Department looked into it and ruled out involvement from homeowners associated with the phone number.

"The caller would have used a false number when making the call over the internet, so the focus of the investigation will fall on identifying the IP address associated to this call," RCMP spokesperson Paul Manaigre said in a statement on Friday.

Despite using an internet call service to conceal the call origins, authorities still believe the call originated in the U.S.

In a note to parents and caregivers Thursday, Hanover School Division superintendent Shelley Amos said the school would shift to remote learning on Friday. She said the division would provide follow-up communication before the start of school next week.

CBC News has requested more details from the division and from Homeland Security.

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