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Two dead, 19 injured in Montreal school shooting 13/09/2006 7:13:29 PM A gunman with a Mohawk haircut and black clothing opened fire inside Montreal's Dawson College on Wednesday, killing one woman and injuring 19 others, before police fatally shot him. Students comfort each other following the shooting at Montreal's Dawson College on Wednesday. (Josh Brown for CTV.ca) Police had earlier believed there were as many as four gunmen, as shots reportedly continued to be heard. The female victim, believed to be in her 20s, died from her wounds in hospital. Officials said up to eight people remain in critical condition. CTV's Jed Kahane said police received a call about the shooting just before 1 p.m. Witnesses heard shots at about 12:45 that lasted for 30 minutes. A police officer outside the college saw the gunman enter the building, and police quickly arrived at the scene. The suspect was shot dead as he tried to leave the school. Panicked students described a scene of chaos and violence, as people fled or hid from the shooter. "He shot right at us. And when he shot at us we jumped and ran the other day," said student Ali Hussein. He added that one bullet struck a wall close to where he was standing. Dawson College is located at the corner of Atwater and Sherbrooke in the heart of downtown Montreal. One student captured a cellphone video of police officers inside the school with their guns drawn. Someone then shouts to evacuate the building. Students told Kahane they saw someone roaming the halls with a gun, and heard at least 20 shots fired. One student told Montreal radio station 940 News she was on the phone at the college's front entrance when she heard five gunshots and a window break. She walked into the hallway and was inches from the gunman. "All of a sudden I turned around and saw a man dressed in black with a huge assault rifle," she said. "People didn't know what was going on ... they thought it was a joke." The man ran into the corner of the cafeteria to hide from police, she said. A number of officers surrounded the school with guns drawn, while others helped to evacuate students from inside the English-language CEGEP school which has about 10,000 students. Gary Clemence, a psychology teacher, said the college is "usually a really quiet, peaceful place. No problems, no knives, anything." Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the shooting "cowardly" and a "senseless act of violence." "On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and their loved ones, and to the students and staff of the college who are all victims of this terrible tragedy," said Harper in a statement. Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay said Canadians should reach out to the victims. "This is so tragic. How do we talk to the parents who are going through this? All I can say is that I feel for them, and I care for them," he told Newsnet. Send your images, with descriptive captions, to newsonline@ctv.ca Please include your name and phone number. Today's incident is horrifyingly reminiscent of another school shooting in Montreal. On Dec. 6, 1989, Marc Lepine killed 14 engineering students at the Ecole Polytechnique. The mass murder prompted tighter gun laws, which included the creation of the controversial national firearms registry. It also prompted Parliament to create the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in 1991, to coincide with the anniversary of the tragedy. During Wednesday's shooting, some students and teachers barricaded themselves in classrooms, waiting for police to rescue them. As many as 40 students and staff hid on the seventh floor, including eyewitness Adam Perez, who spoke to CTV Newsnet. "No one came to really warn us," said Perez. "Our first warning of the incident (came from) phone calls and text messages." One student told 940 News she saw two people who had been shot, including one who had been hit in the neck. The student said a friend told her four people had been shot. Michel Boyer, a student at the college, told CTV Newsnet he saw the gunman in a hallway leading to the cafeteria. "I saw the gunman who was dressed in black and at that time he was shooting at people. It was probably one of the most frightening moments of my life," Boyer said. Images captured from a helicopter hovering over the scene showed hordes of students running frantically from the building. A number of police vehicles surrounded what appeared to be a bloodsoaked sidewalk outside the school, and several yellow ambulance vehicles were seen speeding from the scene after victims were carried from the building on stretchers and loaded in the vehicles. Family members of Dawson College students seeking more information can call (514) 280-2880 or (514) 280-2806. Meanwhile, medical staff at the Montreal General Hospital Emergency Service are asking the public to avoid the hospital's emergency rooms, so doctors can treat the victims. Concerned family members can call a special hotline at the hospital: 514-843-2839.
Police had earlier believed there were as many as four gunmen, as shots reportedly continued to be heard.
The female victim, believed to be in her 20s, died from her wounds in hospital. Officials said up to eight people remain in critical condition.
CTV's Jed Kahane said police received a call about the shooting just before 1 p.m. Witnesses heard shots at about 12:45 that lasted for 30 minutes.
A police officer outside the college saw the gunman enter the building, and police quickly arrived at the scene. The suspect was shot dead as he tried to leave the school.
Panicked students described a scene of chaos and violence, as people fled or hid from the shooter.
"He shot right at us. And when he shot at us we jumped and ran the other day," said student Ali Hussein. He added that one bullet struck a wall close to where he was standing.
Dawson College is located at the corner of Atwater and Sherbrooke in the heart of downtown Montreal.
One student captured a cellphone video of police officers inside the school with their guns drawn. Someone then shouts to evacuate the building.
Students told Kahane they saw someone roaming the halls with a gun, and heard at least 20 shots fired.
One student told Montreal radio station 940 News she was on the phone at the college's front entrance when she heard five gunshots and a window break. She walked into the hallway and was inches from the gunman.
"All of a sudden I turned around and saw a man dressed in black with a huge assault rifle," she said.
"People didn't know what was going on ... they thought it was a joke."
The man ran into the corner of the cafeteria to hide from police, she said.
A number of officers surrounded the school with guns drawn, while others helped to evacuate students from inside the English-language CEGEP school which has about 10,000 students.
Gary Clemence, a psychology teacher, said the college is "usually a really quiet, peaceful place. No problems, no knives, anything."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the shooting "cowardly" and a "senseless act of violence."
"On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and their loved ones, and to the students and staff of the college who are all victims of this terrible tragedy," said Harper in a statement.
Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay said Canadians should reach out to the victims.
"This is so tragic. How do we talk to the parents who are going through this? All I can say is that I feel for them, and I care for them," he told Newsnet.
Send your images, with descriptive captions, to newsonline@ctv.ca Please include your name and phone number.
Today's incident is horrifyingly reminiscent of another school shooting in Montreal. On Dec. 6, 1989, Marc Lepine killed 14 engineering students at the Ecole Polytechnique.
The mass murder prompted tighter gun laws, which included the creation of the controversial national firearms registry. It also prompted Parliament to create the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in 1991, to coincide with the anniversary of the tragedy.
During Wednesday's shooting, some students and teachers barricaded themselves in classrooms, waiting for police to rescue them.
As many as 40 students and staff hid on the seventh floor, including eyewitness Adam Perez, who spoke to CTV Newsnet.
"No one came to really warn us," said Perez. "Our first warning of the incident (came from) phone calls and text messages."
One student told 940 News she saw two people who had been shot, including one who had been hit in the neck.
The student said a friend told her four people had been shot.
Michel Boyer, a student at the college, told CTV Newsnet he saw the gunman in a hallway leading to the cafeteria.
"I saw the gunman who was dressed in black and at that time he was shooting at people. It was probably one of the most frightening moments of my life," Boyer said.
Images captured from a helicopter hovering over the scene showed hordes of students running frantically from the building.
A number of police vehicles surrounded what appeared to be a bloodsoaked sidewalk outside the school, and several yellow ambulance vehicles were seen speeding from the scene after victims were carried from the building on stretchers and loaded in the vehicles.
Family members of Dawson College students seeking more information can call (514) 280-2880 or (514) 280-2806.
Meanwhile, medical staff at the Montreal General Hospital Emergency Service are asking the public to avoid the hospital's emergency rooms, so doctors can treat the victims.
Concerned family members can call a special hotline at the hospital: 514-843-2839.
This situation really saddens me. I used to feel sorry for the kid that did the shooting . I felt they were crying out for help and had no where's to go and just snapped. That they just couldn't take the bullying anymore. Now I just get pissed!! I don't care how bad your life is no one has the right to take the life of another... To show up in a place with hundreds or thousands of defenseless people and open fire is cowardly and selfish!! Young people are losing their lives before even tasting it.
Now I know we can blame their acts on numerous people. Their peers bullied them...their parents beat them..Girlfriend / boyfriend dumped them...nobody paid close enough attention to them ...what have you....By in the end it comes down to your are responsible for your own future and your own actions...
They were saying on the news that he played violent video games and frequented a Vampire website/forum where he talked about being obsessed with guns, etc.
I really wish they would not blame video games for this type of thing.
Yes video games are violent but it comes down to the person himself that chooses to take action and actually kill a living person.
Kimveer Gill, 25, opened fire at a Montreal college on Wednesday, killing a young girl and leaving 19 wounded before police shot him in the arm. He then turned a gun on himself, an initial autopsy has confirmed.
The slain girl has been identified as 18-year-old Anastasia DeSousa, of Montreal. Her friend, James Santos, knelt by her side as Gill looked on.
"I basically stayed with her, trying to keep her awake. She was breathing, but she was not doing great," Santos told CTV News.
In a cruel twist, Santos said that Gill then turned a gun on him and ordered him to leave DeSousa behind. He then grabbed Santos.
"He told me, 'Today I'm going to die today,'" recalled Santos. "And I said, 'You don't have to, you don't have to die, you can make this easy on you and let everyone go.' ... He said, 'Well, I'm going to die.'"
Doctors are treating several victims at Montreal General Hospital, including two that are "extremely critical in the intensive care unit," according to trauma director Tarek Razek.
Two other patients are in critical condition, and one of the four is in a deep coma. But Razek said their status could change at any moment.
"It's on an hour by hour basis," he told a press conference. "We've already gone past a dozen hours, which is a good sign."
Another four victims are out of intensive care but remain in hospital.
Gill, of Laval, had a Mohawk haircut and wore head-to-toe black clothing when he stormed into the cafeteria of Dawson College, just before 1 p.m. ET Wednesday.
As horrific as the shooting was it could have easily been much worse. A police officer outside the college saw the gunman enter the building and police arrived at the scene three minutes after the man opened fire.
The 25-year-old gunman, who carried an automatic rifle and two other guns -- which were all legally registered firearms -- was shot dead as he tried to leave the school.
A blog maintained by Gill contains more than 50 photos depicting the young man in various poses holding a Baretta CX4 Storm semi-automatic rifle and wearing a long black trenchcoat and boots.
"His name is Trench. you will come to know him as the Angel of Death," he wrote on his profile on vampirefreaks.com, an online hub of goth culture.
The blog paints a dark portrait of the man.
"He is not a people person. He has met a handfull (sic) of people in his life who are decent." But he writes that he finds the vast majority to be "worthless, no good, kniving, betraying lieing (sic), deceptive."
The last of Gill's six journal entries Wednesday was posted at 10:41 a.m, just two hours before the gunman was shot dead after the college shooting.
Police had earlier believed there were as many as four gunmen.
'He shot right at us'
"He shot right at us. And when he shot at us we jumped and ran the other way," said student Ali Hussein. He added that one bullet struck a wall close to where he was standing.
Another student told Montreal radio station 940 News she was on the phone at the college's front entrance when she heard five gunshots and a window breaking. She walked into the hallway and was inches from the gunman.
"All of a sudden I turned around and saw a man dressed in black with a huge assault rifle," she said. "People didn't know what was going on ... they thought it was a joke."
Police responded within three minutes
Police Chief Yvan Delorme told The Canadian Press the attacker sprayed gunfire at random targets. He said provincial police had been called in to investigate, which is standard in a killing involving the local force.
Delorme said police were able to respond quickly because two officers were already at the college on a drug-related matter when they heard gunshots and took action right away.
Delorme said the lessons learned from the 1989 Montreal Massacre when Marc Lepine murdered 14 women at Ecole Polytechnique, helped save lives. Emergency service workers now understand the need to coordinate and act quickly, and police have been trained to move in and deal with a suspected shooter right away, he said.
"Before our technique was to establish a perimeter around the place and wait for the SWAT team. Now the first police officers go right inside. The way they acted saved lives (today)."
Witnesses said Gill started shooting outside the college, then -- without saying a word-- he entered the second-floor cafeteria and opened fire. At times he hid behind vending machines before emerging to take aim -- at one point at a teenager who tried to photograph him with his cell phone.
Police dismissed suggestions that terrorism played a role, and Delorme said the gunman opened fire haphazardly at no target in particular until he saw the police and specifically took aim at them.
Police took cover behind a wall as they traded fire with the gunman, student Andrea Barone, who was in the cafeteria, told The Associated Press. He said the officers proceeded cautiously because many students were trapped around the shooter, who yelled "Get back! Get back!" every time an officer tried to move closer.
Eventually, Barone said, the gunman went down in a hail of gunfire. An initial autopsy shows that police shot Gill in the arm, and he then shot himself in the head.
Most of the students, who are between the ages of 16 and 18, fled to the nearby Concordia University campus where a student union barbecue was taking place. They were provided with clean clothes, beverages and even counselling.
Those services should have been provided by the Dawson College administration, said Dawson student council president Melanie Hotchkiss in a news conference Thursday with members of the Concordia Student Union.
She praised the CSU for its help but had tough criticism for her own school.
"This help was essential, and the DSU alongside the CSU were able, through solidarity, to fulfill students' needs that should have been dealt with through the Dawson administration," Hotchkiss said.
She pointed to the need for better communication and cooperation in future.
Harper says current laws don't work
Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke only briefly to the media Thursday afternoon, saying it was not appropriate to comment without knowing all of the facts.
"We can obviously just observe that laws we have didn't prevent this tragedy, which is why our government in the future, because of this incident and many others, are looking to make our laws more effective," he said.
Harper said debates are sure to unfold about the government's role of censorship in video games and the monitoring of the Internet.
"We as a society have trouble squaring our outrage at some of the images that we see, some of the images that are communicated to people, young people in particular. We have trouble squaring that in our belief of freedom and our desire to avoid censorship," he said.
"However terrible images or messages that are sent to people or people may see ... they do not absolve any of us from our moral responsibilities as individuals to act in ways that treat our fellow human beings with decency."
Harper offered condolences to the family of the young woman killed in the rampage and said his thoughts are with the victims still in hospital and the people horrified by the ordeal.
He said he spoke to Quebec Premier Jean Charest and Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay Wednesday night and offered any help they might need from the federal government.