Sword attack at Brandon high school was racially motivated act of hate, police say
Social Sharing
WARNING: This story contains graphic details of violence and injuries.
The sword attack at a Brandon high school last week was a targeted and racially motivated assault, police say.
"The offender planned the attack and the perpetration of violence against targets chosen specifically based on race — targeting people of colour and immigrants. It was a deliberate, senseless, targeted act of hate," Chief Tyler Bates said in a statement posted on the police service's Facebook page on Friday.
"This is disturbing and no one should ever fear for their safety because of the colour of their skin, and no child should be made to feel unsafe in a place of learning. There is no place in our community for racism, hate or violence of any kind."
Chinonso Onuke, 15, is recovering after the attack on June 10 left him with wounds on his hands, chest and thigh. Seven of his fingers were nearly severed as he fought off the attacker in a hallway at Neelin High School.
A 16-year-old fellow student has been charged with multiple offences, including attempted murder.
"The investigation is complex and ongoing, but at this early juncture, we have uncovered a significant amount of evidence that indicates the suspect's political and racial ideologies were motivating factors in this crime. These findings reinforce the gravity and intent behind the attack," Bates wrote.
"We understand the deep concern this incident has caused. The mortal danger encountered at Neelin High School has affected us all but has united Brandonites in resilience, kindness and opposition to racism and hatred."
In an interview with CBC News earlier this week, Onuke said his attacker was wearing a long black trench coat, a hat and a mask with a long beak. At first, he thought it was a costume — until the teen pulled out a jagged sword and lunged at him, striking him in his stomach.
Onuke fought off the attack and ran to the school office. The school was immediately put into lockdown.
Police were called at 1:15 p.m., and by 1:22 p.m., the 16-year-old was in custody. Officers used a stun gun to subdue and disarm him.
Onuke was rushed to Winnipeg for more than 10 hours of emergency surgery.
In his Facebook post, Bates reiterated what he said at a news conference the day after the attack — that the emergency planning the police service has undertaken with the Brandon School Division, the established relationship between school liaison officers and students, and the rapid swift action of the responding officers "prevented mass casualty."
However, it is clear there remains work to do to further enhance and improve safety within Brandon schools, the post said.
"We will continue working with our partners in education, mental health and community organizations to ensure that our schools remain safe and inclusive spaces for everyone," he wrote.
"We recognize the lasting emotional impact this has had and will continue to have on all those involved, and we are committed to supporting them through every step of the healing process."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
29 minutes ago
- CTV News
Man found sitting along Hwy. 417 taken to hospital, Ottawa OPP looking for his family
Police are asking the family of a man who was found sitting along Highway 417 in Ottawa to come forward. (OPP/ X) The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is asking the family of a man who was found sitting along Highway 417 in Ottawa on Friday to come forward. He was found sitting along the highway westbound, near the March and Eagleson roads exit. Police say the man was taken to hospital as he 'may have experienced some form of medical episode.' Officers add that no identification was found on him, noting that he was not able to communicate with them. They add that there are no missing person reports matching his description. He is described as approximately 50-year-old. At the time he was found he was wearing blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a dark grey sweater with black/red shoes. 'We urgently want to locate this man's family or other caregiver,' the OPP said in a post on X. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 1-888-310-1122 and refer to incident E250796322.
CTV News
31 minutes ago
- CTV News
B.C. Realtor's licence cancelled over ‘deceptive and underhanded' conduct
Real estate sale signage is shown on a street in Oakville, Ont., west of Toronto, on Thursday, Nov.7, 2024. (Richard Buchan / The Canadian Press) A B.C. Realtor who lost a court case against a former client earlier this year has now had his licence cancelled by the provincial real estate regulator. Alan Hu and his Personal Real Estate Corporation recently entered a consent order agreement with the B.C. Financial Services Authority, in which they agreed to pay a $120,000 fine and have their licences cancelled. The penalties stem from the same incident that led to a court decision against Hu in January, in which B.C. Supreme Court Justice Amy D. Francis found Hu had 'intentionally undermined' his client Pei Hua Zhong by purchasing for himself the Surrey home that Zhong had made an offer to buy. Francis' decision in the case describes Hu's conduct as 'deceptive and underhanded' – a description that is repeated in the consent order document published on the BCFSA website Friday. What happened The court case revolved around Zhong's attempts to purchase a property on 174 Street near 20 Avenue in Surrey. The one-acre parcel had an assessed value of just over $3 million for 2025, according to BC Assessment. 174 Street property in South Surrey The property at the centre of the lawsuit is seen in this 2011 photo from BC Assessment. ( Zhong met Hu in November 2017 and hired the Realtor to facilitate both the sale of his home on Poplar Drive and the purchase of a new home, according to the court decision. Through Hu, Zhong made two offers to purchase the 174 Street property. The first, for $2.1 million, was accepted, but expired when Zhong was unable to sell his home in time to raise the necessary funds for the down payment. While the first offer was expiring in late December 2017, Hu was in Las Vegas with his wife and another couple – Lingxia Tao and her husband Zhi Chen. According to the decision, what exactly was discussed between the parties in Las Vegas was disputed during the court proceedings, but the end result was that Tao made an offer on the 174 Street property for slightly less than $2.1 million, which was accepted, while Zhong made a new offer of $2.05 million, which was rejected. Two weeks later, Tao assigned her contract to purchase the property to Hu, who ultimately completed the transaction. Hu later sold the property in September 2021 for $3.35 million – a profit of more than $1.2 million over what he had paid when he assumed Tao's contract less than four years earlier. Francis ruled in Zhong's favour, ordering Hu to 'disgorge' his portion of the profits, a number that remained unspecified in the court decision because of ongoing litigation between Hu and Tao over their purported agreement to invest in real estate together. Regulator-imposed consequences The BCFSA consent order details these same circumstances, albeit with the names of the other parties and the address of the property redacted. According to the document, Hu's client (Zhong) learned that Hu was the owner of the property when he performed a title search in September 2021. Zhong filed his civil lawsuit in January 2022. In April of that year, he submitted a complaint to the BCFSA, the consent order indicates. The document notes that Hu made false statements to BCFSA investigators about his agreement with Tao and falsely claimed that he had offered Zhong the opportunity to take the assignment of the contract to buy the 174 Street property. He later admitted during the trial that he had never told Zhong about the assignment. Hu also failed to notify the BCFSA when the B.C. Supreme Court judgment against him was issued earlier this year, according to the consent order. In the agreement, Hu admits to a lengthy list of conduct unbecoming of a licensee and professional misconduct, including: Failing to act honestly in providing real estate services Failing to disclose 'all known material information' to a client Failing to maintain the client's confidentiality Failing to act in the best interests of the client Failing to take reasonable steps to avoid a conflict of interest Failing to promptly and fully disclose a conflict of interest to a client Providing trading services outside of the brokerage with which he and his PREC were licensed Collecting funds in relation to the purchase of a property without promptly remitting the money to his brokerage Failing to keep the brokerage's managing broker informed of the assignment contract Failing to promptly notify the BCFSA of the court judgment Failing or refusing to co-operate with an investigation And making false or misleading statements in relation to an investigation Hu and his company admitted this misconduct and agreed to the cancellation of their licences. They are jointly required to pay the $120,000 fine within six months of signing the consent order agreement. 'Real estate licensees have an enshrined duty to act in the best interests of their client, and Hu's actions ran wholly contrary to that duty,' said Jon Vandall, the BCFSA's senior vice-president of compliance and enforcement, in a news release issued Friday. 'Hu undermined his own client for personal gain and demonstrated a clear disregard for the established ethical expectations for licensees. The significant penalty issued to Hu, including the outright cancellation of his real estate licence, reflects the severity of Hu's actions.'
CBC
41 minutes ago
- CBC
Beware of people impersonating animal protection officers in P.E.I., humane society warns
The P.E.I. Humane Society is warning Islanders that it's been getting reports of plain-clothed people claiming to be animal protection officers. The group says it's not sure why this is happening. CBC's Nicola MacLeod explains.
