A 14-year-old girl who claimed she was stabbed at Sir Charles Tupper secondary Monday afternoon has since told police there was no attack and her wounds were self-inflicted. The Vancouver Police Department said the investigation ran through Monday evening and into Tuesday morning. "Based on interviews and follow-up, police now believe that there was no altercation and are no longer searching for any suspects. Police are working with the Vancouver School Board and other service providers to assist the young girl and her family in any way possible," police said in a statement.
The teen initially told school staff and police that three girls confronted her inside the high school, cut her arm and cut her hair. She was treated in the first aid room for a minor wound before being taken to the hospital for stitches. The incident launched a Code Red at Tupper, in which no one could leave or enter the building and classrooms were locked down while police searched the building. A Code Yellow was declared at David Livingstone, an elementary school located nearby. Police released descriptions of three female suspects before discovering the teenager had made up the story. Media coverage was widespread.
Vancouver School Board spokesman Kurt Heinrich called the incident at Tupper, located at 419 East 24th Ave., "really unfortunate."
"But it showcases how well prepared our schools are for these sorts of rare situations. We thank the staff and students at Sir Charles Tupper for their calm approach to this situation. The VSB will be providing assistance to this young woman in any way possible," he told the Courier Tuesday morning. "The school is an incredibly resilient one. It came together at a time of crisis and demonstrated the exceptional strength of the school community. The safety of the students and staff is our priority and this incident really does demonstrate exactly that."
After the girl acknowledged the attack didn't happen, police continued to investigate to ensure she wasn't changing her story under duress.
Heinrich said he didn't have any information on the "issues or challenges" facing the young girl. It's not clear if the teen realized the reaction her claim would spark. "I don't know what her state of mind was in doing this. The amount of response that happens with a Code Red is quite significant and not all students are aware of that. She might not be fully understanding of the results of her action," Heinrich said. "We really want to get out the message generally that this is a phenomenal school and that it's a really positive school. Everything was done right in this situation."
Code Reds and Code Yellows are unusual, but happen periodically. Heinrich said there was a Code Yellow at John Oliver in recent months, but it was declared due to an incident that occurred a few blocks away. In December of 2010, a Code Red was called at Gladstone secondary after a staff person raised concerns about a possible intruder. The school was searched and no one was found.
Heinrich said the school board will review the response to the Tupper incident, but procedures were followed properly.
noconnor@vancourier.com
Twitter: @Naoibh
