For many, the scene of backpack-toting students fleeing their campus in fear after gunmen opened fire brought back chilling memories of other school shootings here in Canada and around the world.
In Montreal, where at least eight people have been critically injured following Wednesday's violence at Dawson College, thoughts likely strayed to another terrible day back in December of 1989.
That's when 25-year-old Marc Lepine (pictured) shot and killed 14 women at the University of Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique before turning the gun on himself in this country's deadliest school shooting.
A decade later, in April 1999, all eyes turned to Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where 12 students and a teacher were shot dead by two fellow students.
Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, had apparently been plotting to blow up their school for a year. At the end of their shooting spree they killed themselves. It was the worst episode of violence at a school in U.S. history.
Just over a week later, on April 28th, an Alberta teen took a .22-calibre sawed-off shotgun and opened fire at W.R. Myers High School in the town of Taber, southeast of Calgary. At the end of the rampage 17-year-old Jason Lang was dead and another student was seriously wounded.
The teen was sentenced in 2000 to three years in secure custody and seven years of probation in the murder.
Sadly, those were just a few of many school shootings across the world that have continually shocked society. Here's a look back at them:
Sept. 13, 2006, Montreal, Quebec
-- One gunman opens fire at Dawson College in Montreal, leaving a student dead and 19 more injured. His motives remain unknown.
Nov. 8, 2005, Jacksboro, Tenn
. -- One 15-year-old shot and killed an assistant principal at Campbell County High School and seriously wounded two other administrators.
March 21, 2005, Red Lake, Minn.
-- Jeff Weise, 16, killed grandfather and companion, then arrived at school where he killed a teacher, a security guard, 5 students, and finally himself, leaving a total of 10 dead.
Sept. 28, 2004, Carmen de Patagones, Argentina
-- Three students killed and 6 wounded by a 15-year-old Argentinian student in a town 620 miles south of Buenos Aires.
Sept. 24, 2003, Cold Spring, Minn.
-- Two students are killed at Rocori High School by John Jason McLaughlin, 15.
April 24, 2003, Red Lion, Pa.
-- James Sheets, 14, killed principal Eugene Segro of Red Lion Area Junior High School before killing himself.
April 14, 2003, New Orleans, La.
-- One 15-year-old killed, and three students wounded at John McDonogh High School by gunfire from four teenagers (none were students at the school). The motive was gang-related.
April 29, 2002, Vlasenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina
-- One teacher killed, one wounded by Dragoslav Petkovic, 17, who then killed himself.
April 26, 2002, Erfurt, Germany
-- 13 teachers, two students, and one policeman killed, ten wounded by Robert Steinhaeuser, 19, at the Johann Gutenberg secondary school. Steinhaeuser then killed himself.
Feb. 19, 2002, Freising, Germany --
Two killed in Eching by a man at the factory from which he had been fired; he then traveled to Freising and killed the headmaster of the technical school from which he had been expelled. He also wounded another teacher before killing himself.
Jan. 15, 2002, New York, N.Y. --
A teenager wounded two students at Martin Luther King Jr. High School.
Nov. 12, 2001, Caro, Mich. --
Chris Buschbacher, 17, took two hostages at the Caro Learning Center before killing himself.
March 30, 2001, Gary, Ind. --
One student killed by Donald R. Burt, Jr., a 17-year-old student who had been expelled from Lew Wallace High School.
March 22, 2001, Granite Hills, Calif. --
One teacher and three students wounded by Jason Hoffman, 18, at Granite Hills High School. A policeman shot and wounded Hoffman.
March 7, 2001 Williamsport, Pa. --
Elizabeth Catherine Bush, 14, wounded student Kimberly Marchese in the cafeteria of Bishop Neumann High School; she was depressed and frequently teased.
March 5, 2001, Santee, Calif. --
Two killed and 13 wounded by Charles Andrew Williams, 15, firing from a bathroom at Santana High School.
Jan. 18, 2001, Jan, Sweden --
One student killed by two boys, ages 17 and 19.
Jan. 17, 2001, Baltimore, Md. --
One student shot and killed in front of Lake Clifton Eastern High School.
Sept. 26, 2000, New Orleans, La. --
Two students wounded with the same gun during a fight at Woodson Middle School.
May 26, 2000, Lake Worth, Fla. --
One teacher, Barry Grunow, shot and killed at Lake Worth Middle School by Nate Brazill, 13, with .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol on the last day of classes.
April 20, 2000, Orleans, Ont.
-- Four students and one staff member wounded in knife attack at Cairine Wilson High School in Orleans, Ontario occurs on first anniversary of Columbine massacre.
March 10, 2000, Savannah, Ga. --
Two students killed by Darrell Ingram, 19, while leaving a dance sponsored by Beach High School.
March 2000, Branneburg, Germany --
One teacher killed by a 15-year-old student, who then shot himself. The shooter has been in a coma ever since.
Feb. 29, 2000, Mount Morris Township, Mich. --
Six-year-old Kayla Rolland shot dead at Buell Elementary School near Flint, Mich. The assailant was identified as a six-year-old boy with a .32-caliber handgun.
Dec. 7, 1999, Veghel, Netherlands --
One teacher and three students wounded by a 17-year-old student.
Dec. 6, 1999, Fort Gibson, Okla. --
Four students wounded as Seth Trickey, 13, opened fire with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun at Fort Gibson Middle School.
Nov. 19, 1999, Deming, N.M. --
Victor Cordova Jr., 12, shot and killed Araceli Tena, 13, in the lobby of Deming Middle School.
May 20, 1999, Conyers, Ga. --
Six students injured at Heritage High School by Thomas Solomon, 15, who was reportedly depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend.
April 28, 1999, Taber, Alberta
-- 14-year-old boy shoots two students, one fatally, at W.R. Myers High School in Taber, Alberta.
April 20, 1999, Littleton, Colo. --
14 students (including killers) and one teacher killed, 23 others wounded at Columbine High School in the nation's deadliest school shooting. Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, had plotted for a year to kill at least 500 and blow up their school. At the end of their hour-long rampage, they turned their guns on themselves.
Feb. 8, 1999, Verdun, Quebec
-- Man fires shot at Woodland Elementary School in Verdun, Quebec. No one injured.
June 15, 1998, Richmond, Va. --
One teacher and one guidance counselor wounded by a 14-year-old boy in the school hallway.
May 21, 1998, Springfield, Ore. --
Two students killed, 22 others wounded in the cafeteria at Thurston High School by 15-year-old Kip Kinkel. Kinkel had been arrested and released a day earlier for bringing a gun to school. His parents were later found dead at home.
May 19, 1998, Fayetteville, Tenn. --
One student killed in the parking lot at Lincoln County High School three days before he was to graduate. The victim was dating the ex-girlfriend of his killer, 18-year-old honor student Jacob Davis.
April 24, 1998, Edinboro, Pa. --
One teacher, John Gillette, killed, two students wounded at a dance at James W. Parker Middle School. Andrew Wurst, 14, was charged.
March 24, 1998, Jonesboro, Ark. --
Four students and one teacher killed, ten others wounded outside as Westside Middle School emptied during a false fire alarm. Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, shot at their classmates and teachers from the woods.
Dec. 15, 1997, Stamps, Ark. --
Two students wounded. Colt Todd, 14, was hiding in the woods when he shot the students as they stood in the parking lot.
Dec. 1, 1997, West Paducah, Ky. --
Three students killed, five wounded by Michael Carneal, 14, as they participated in a prayer circle at Heath High School.
October 1997, Monreal, Quebec
-- 35-year-old man fatally shoots teacher at Montreal language school for immigrants.
Oct. 1, 1997, Pearl, Miss. --
Two students killed and seven wounded by Luke Woodham, 16, who was also accused of killing his mother. He and his friends were said to be outcasts who worshiped Satan.
March 1997, Sanaa, Yemen --
Eight people (six students and two others) at two schools killed by Mohammad Ahman al-Naziri.
Feb. 19, 1997, Bethel, Alaska --
Principal and one student killed, two others wounded by Evan Ramsey, 16.
March 13, 1996, Dunblane, Scotland --
16 children and one teacher killed at Dunblane Primary School by Thomas Hamilton, who then killed himself. 10 others wounded in attack.
Feb. 2, 1996, Moses Lake, Wash. --
Two students and one teacher killed, one other wounded when 14-year-old Barry Loukaitis opened fire on his algebra class.
October 1994, Toronto, Ont
. -- Two guidance counsellors at Brockton High School in Toronto shot and wounded by student unhappy with grades.
June 1993, Vancouver, B.C.
-- Teen wounded outside Gladstone Secondary School in Vancouver in drive-by shooting.
February 1990, Burlington, Ont.
-- Jilted teenager shoots and wounds estranged girlfriend at General Brock High School in Burlington, Ontario.
December 6, 1989, Montreal, Quebec
-- Marc Lepine, 25, shoots dead 14 women at University of Montreal's Ecole polytechnique engineering school, then kills himself.
October 1978, Winnipeg, MB
-- 17-year-old student shoots 16-year-old to death at Sturgeon Creek Regional Secondary School in Winnipeg.
May 1975, Brampton, Ont.
-- Michael Slobodian, 16, kills teacher and student and wounds 13 others at Centennial Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario before turning gun on himself.