(GREATER NAPANEE, ON) - On October 25, 2019 an altercation between two students took place in the hallway of a secondary school in Greater Napanee. The incident was captured on video which has been widely shared on social media.
The Lennox & Addington (L&A) County detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) was made aware of the incident and has conducted an investigation into the incident. Based on the results of that investigation, police have charged a 16 year-old Greater Napanee youth with one count of assault contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.
The social media posts have generated a number of responses. Some of those responses are threatening in nature or suggest/promote a course of action by way of retribution against the alleged perpetrator. It is very important that everyone remain cognizant that their online activity may subject them to criminal liability in the real-world. The OPP discourages, in the strongest terms, any form of vigilantism in response to this, or any other, incident. It is very important to remember that social media posts often lack complete context and there can often be a great deal of relevant information that isn't available to the viewer.
The youth was released from police custody and will appear in the Ontario Court of Justice, Youth Court, in Greater Napanee on December 9, 2019.