HALIFAX — A Dalhousie University medical student who was facing expulsion told a psychiatrist he would obtain a gun and kill up to 20 people and himself, court documents allege.
The search warrant documents filed with Halifax provincial court allege that 30-year-old Stephen Gregory Tynes met with psychiatrist Dr. Terry Chisholm on Aug. 20 and told her he would stab Evelyn Sutton, the associate dean of undergraduate medical education, and her daughter Ellen MacDonald, who was also his classmate.
In the document, police say they later went to an apartment in Halifax and seized 1,834 rounds of ammunition for rifles, a Russian SKS rifle, a Henry Golden Boy .22-calibre rifle, a banana clip for a rifle, a baggie with three spring clips and bore cleaner, two ammunition boxes, a firearms acquisition card and a gun club card.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Chris Hansen, a spokeswoman for Nova Scotia's public prosecution service, said Tynes was arrested on the same day as his meeting with Chisholm and was later charged with two counts of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and one count of engaging in threatening conduct directed at a person or any member of their family.
The warrant gives a detailed account of the meeting with the psychiatrist that led to the student's arrest.
It says that the psychiatrist warned Tynes she would contact police after he made the alleged threats during their afternoon appointment, "at which point he left her office in an agitated state."
The document says Chisholm had treated Tynes for more than 16 months and believed he was angry because he couldn't return to the medical school and felt he had no other options.
"Tynes indicated that he would stab her (Sutton) and he has thoughts of shooting 10-20 people and then himself," the document alleges that Chisholm told police.
Police say in the document that they interviewed relatives who told them Tynes owned rifles. They also heard he was a member of a gun club, the documents say.
A judge granted the warrant. The weapons and ammunition were seized on Aug. 21 at an apartment in the south end of the city.
Tynes appeared in court on Aug. 25 for a bail hearing and was released on conditions that he live at his father's home and have no contact with Sutton or MacDonald, said Hansen. The court also required that he not possess any firearms, alcohol or drugs, and that he stay away from the university's campus except when he is with his parents or his lawyer.
A spokesman for Dalhousie University said in an email that Tynes has been suspended.
"Safety and security is a prime consideration for our faculty, staff and students," wrote Brian Leadbetter.
"We are in close contact with Halifax Regional Police and our security staff is working closely and collaboratively with them to ensure the ongoing safety of our community."
