‘There are five dead already:’ Nanaimo man sentenced for reporting fake school shooting

“Oh my god they are shooting the school, there are five dead already,” Collier stated repeatedly during the calls in which he didn’t answer questions from dispatchers.

Collier didn’t specify which school was targeted; only that it was within the range of Nanaimo District Secondary School and Fairview Community School.

The offender stated the impacted school was on fire and that gunshots hit a grey Honda Sedan on Beaconsfield Rd. near Howard Ave., located a block away from Fairview school.

NDSS was briefly placed on lockdown, while Fairview students had been dismissed early for parent-teacher interviews and were walking home at the time.

Soon after confirming the 911 calls were a hoax, police were informed where the calls originated from, which was the car that Collier claimed was sprayed with bullets.

Collier was found inside the car registered to his girlfriend, as was his cell phone, which was confirmed to be the device where the fake calls originated from.

“He reports that he feels very embarrassed by his actions, he indicates he is remorseful, saying he feels as though he impacted the RCMP greatly,” Avery told court.

Collier reported he believed he had awoken from a seizure, was paranoid and highly disturbed at the time.

He was hospitalized for self-harm about nine months prior to the incident.

A psychologist who authored a forensic evaluation believes Collier has sufficient symptoms to warrant PTSD and panic disorder diagnoses, and that he’s in remission for alcohol use disorder.

Collier stated he suffers from seizures, however, it’s not known where the condition originates from.

Collier reported he sustained numerous brain injuries in his life, including during his childhood.

No evidence was presented suggesting Collier has or had suffered from hallucinations or delusions.

Despite living in a car, Collier, his girlfriend and his grandmother report he has made significant strides since the incident and has remained sober.

Collier’s life has further stabilized through steady employment over the past six months.

Court was told Collier intends to gain post-secondary education in the months ahead.

Collier, who is a registered sex offender, has had a difficult time obtaining housing due to existing conditions he’s under for a sex offence against a minor, court was told.

The psychologist deemed Collier to be a very high risk to re-offend with sex crimes, while his risk to re-offend generally, including with violence, is moderate.

Collier’s risk factors are not considered to be imminent with his current mental health outlook improved and sobriety maintained.

Bobak Zargarian, Collier’s lawyer, told court the actions of his client are difficult to understand.

He said what’s clear is that Collier was extremely disturbed and unstable at the time.

“It wasn’t a planned, thought out, rational scheme. It was an irrational mental health episode,” Zargarian said.

Collier expressed a willingness to undergo counseling to improve his mental health.

His probationary terms include various counseling provisions, including psychiatric support.

Judge Ron Lamperson, who accepted a jointly submitted sentence recommendation, emphasized the importance of determining what precise mental health ailments Collier has.

“If there’s some formal diagnoses that may rule in or rule out certain treatment options I think that that wouldn’t just benefit you, but I think would benefit the community going forward,” judge Lamperson said.

Collier did not formally address the court.

His guilty plea to the public mischief charge last November cancelled a pending trial.

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On Twitter: @reporterholmes

by Ian Holmes

‘There are five dead already:’ Nanaimo man sentenced for reporting fake school shooting

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