Winnipeg police unable to find evidence of man with knife reported Tuesday at U of Manitoba
Police sent emergency cellphone alert to the public while searching for man with knife
Investigators have been unable to find evidence of a man with a knife reported at the University of Manitoba on Tuesday, Winnipeg police say.
Police released an emergency cellphone alert and a social media statement to the public on Tuesday after they received a report about an armed man on campus. The notices provided information and safety instructions through the province's emergency alert system.
The emergency alert issued by the Winnipeg Police Service said a dangerous person described as a Black man wearing black clothing was armed with a large knife and seen in the area of the university's Allen Building Tuesday.
Winnipeg police said in a news release Thursday that the course of action the police service chose to follow was appropriate, timely and carefully considered, and acknowledged the alert and incident raised concern from the general public and university community.
Investigators explored several sources of evidence but none were substantiated, police said.
The building — the physics laboratory, not a student residence — was unoccupied at the time the alert was issued, because classes hadn't yet started for the day.