Jonathan Murray was escorted from Dartmouth Provincial Court on Friday afternoon in handcuffs after being arraigned on charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
“Right now we’re alleging that Mr. Murray agreed with others to commit the offence of murder,” said Crown Attorney John Nisbet.
Murray and two boys, aged 15 and 17, were arrested on April 5 after a gun scare near Millwood High School in Middle Sackville, N.S.
At the time of the incident, RCMP found a duffle bag of weapons near the school, but were careful not to link the firearms to a possible threat at the building.
On Friday, that changed, with police confirming they believe Murray had access to firearms and was planning something.
“The information we have is that a violent act was planned at the school,” said Cpl. Jennifer Clarke, RCMP. “I can’t be any more specific than that.”
At this point, it’s not clear exactly who was the target at the school or how any potential shooting would have been carried out.
“It’s not like we have a manifesto, step one step two, step three, step four,” said Nisbet. “Some of the really big, bad shootings that have happened here, in the United States, they’ve had that kind of record, they’ve found those kinds of things, police haven’t found anything like that.”
Nisbet confirms that investigators are now examining the cell phones of the three teens, trying to piece together what the plan was.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, Murray is also facing charges of uttering threats in connection to the Millwood incident.
“This is very concerning. Public safety is a huge concern for the police. Back when this happened, schools were affected with lockdowns,” Nisbet tells Global News.
“No one wants to see anyone hurt. These things don’t happen every day. I don’t want to lose sight of the fact these are allegations at this point, we need to take our time, figure out what’s going on.”
The 18-year-old is also accused of child luring, but that charge is not directly linked to the gun scare. It is something that came about as a result of the police investigation.
The Halifax Regional School Board told Global News on Friday that they do not comment on cases that are before the courts, but spokesperson Doug Hadley did issue a statement that reads in part: “We appreciate the ongoing support and diligence of our police partners in helping keep our schools safe.”
Murray will stay behind bars until his next court appearance on May 13. The Crown says they plan to oppose his release if the teen seeks bail because they feel he could potentially commit other offences.
The two boys, who cannot be named because of their age, will appear in Halifax Youth Court on May 4.
At this point, additional charges against Murray or the other two teens is not being ruled out.
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