A 15-year-old student is currently in the hospital after being shot in the chest during a drive-by shooting that occurred outside of a Toronto high school on Thursday, according to police. The shooting occurred at around noon in the parking lot of Weston Collegiate Institute. Duty Insp. Ryan Forde stated that “unknown males” drove by and shot the student from their car, though he could not confirm if the student and the suspects knew each other. After being shot, the student ran back into the school, where teachers and faculty tended to him until emergency services arrived. The suspects then fled the scene, and Forde could not provide any information about the number of people in the car, any suspect descriptions, or vehicle information.
Leyah Brissett, a 14-year-old student at the school, described the chaotic scene that occurred when the shooting happened. She said that there was a “big boom” and that many people were screaming and crying, running to the bus stops. Mohimed Ibrahim, who had come to the school to pick up his son for lunch, said that the area was heavily policed.
The Toronto District School Board spokesperson, Ryan Bird, said that the school was placed in lockdown and then later lifted, and students were relocated to nearby elementary schools. Bird also said that some staff members immediately tended to the student who was injured until paramedics arrived.
Friday is a professional activity day for the Toronto District School Board, so students at the school will not be in class. Police are asking anyone with footage or information about the shooting to contact them or Crime Stoppers. Forde also said that any dashcam or residential camera footage from homeowners in the area would be greatly appreciated.