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School Shooting Leaves 16-Year-Old Boy Fighting For His Life

09/16/2008 | CityNews.ca Staff

The grim reality of gun violence washed away the innocence and optimism that marked the start of the school year at Bendale Technical Institute, after a 16-year-old student was shot in the chest in the parking lot following an altercation involving several people on Tuesday. The teen was transported to hospital in critical condition, where he underwent emergency surgery. His devastated parents rushed to his bedside, but it's still not certain if he'll recover. "He's a really quiet, nice guy," one student said, referring to the young victim. "You never, like, expect him to get into any kind of trouble. He was just really calm, cool, collective kind of guy." Police began receiving 911 calls from the Lawrence and Midland campus after the shots rang out just before noon. The teen, who police believe was the only student from the school involved in the confrontation, was reportedly discovered near the pool inside the building bleeding from at least one gunshot wound.

"Two guys came running in, and the guy was holding his stomach," explained Bendale student Courtenay Skinner. "And he ran into his classroom and said someone got shot." "I heard three shots," another witness added. "They weren't right after one another, but I heard three shots...and I saw about 15 boys and girls...and they ran into the building. They ran into the school."

The ETF set up a command post outside as the search for suspects continued and Chief Bill Blair was on scene as well, a sign of how seriously police are taking this case. It's reported the weapon that was used may be a sawed off shotgun, but cops still aren't sure. Blair says it started just before noon when a fight broke out involving at least one student at the school. "There was an altercation between a number of young men, one was a student in this school that we know, and a firearm was discharged during the altercation, and the young man injured. He has been taken to ... hospital and he's in critical condition ... His parents have been notified and are with him now." The incident took place in a large green space behind the parking lot at the school. The gunman and at least two others ran off. The trigger man is believed to be:

18-19,
5'8"-5'10"
Dark skinned.

He was wearing a cloth hat and a back pack.

A huge perimeter was set up along Midland Ave. and the road was closed off from Lawrence all the way to Ellesmere. It has since been reopened. Blair admits there are cameras on the campus but can't say if the crime was caught by one of the unblinking eyes. Nearby Donwood Park P.S., David and Mary Thomson C.I. and Highbrook Learning Centre were also placed in lockdown as a precaution but the prohibitions at all the locations - including Bendale - were lifted just before 2:30pm . But Blair stresses no one inside Bendale was ever in any danger. "The young persons that were involved in this altercation fled the scene, but in an abundance of caution, and appropriately per our procedures, the school staff took the school into lockdown. That is to ensure the safety of all of the students in the school. "The school followed the protocols we developed together. Precisely as they were intended to ensure the safety of all of the students. There is no risk inside that school."

He also stressed that the suspects will be caught.

"They have not got away," a confident Blair states. "There's a lot of investigation now taking place. It has been indicated there's a lot of cameras here. There's a lot of witnesss here and we'll get a lot of information. And yes, they fled in the moment but they have not escaped justice." The shooting comes the day after Toronto Police began patrolling some local schools - but Bendale isn't one of them. It's said to be an alternative school with an emphasis on business and technical subjects, and specializes in getting students ready for apprenticeships after graduation. It's the latest in what is becoming a series of lockdowns in GTA schools of late. On Monday, Newtonbrook Secondary S.S. in North York was off limits after a gun threat. Another school in Malton was shuttered when a drive-by shooting took place nearby. There has only been one fatal shooting inside a Toronto school and that came on May 23 ^rd, 2007 when 15-year-old Jordan Manners was found near a pool inside CW Jefferys C.I. on Sentinel Road. This one happened outside but does nothing to lessen the fear it has sparked in parents and students who call the school home.

There were two other shootings in the GTA later in the afternoon. Find out more about those incidents here.

City News Toronto

School Shooting Leaves 16-Year-Old Boy Fighting For His Life

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