At Least 12 Shot at Montreal College

[derekkj 0]

By PHIL COUVRETTE

The Associated Press

Wednesday, September 13, 2006; 3:46 PM

MONTREAL -- At least one gunman in a black trench coat opened fire Wednesday in the cafeteria of a Montreal college and wounded at least 12 people _ six critically _ before shooting himself, witnesses and authorities said.

Scores of students at Dawson College near downtown fled into the surrounding streets after the shooting broke out in the school of about 10,000. Some of them had bloody clothes.

CBC-TV showed police with guns drawn standing behind a police cruiser as a SWAT team searched the 12-acre campus in case there was more than one gunman.

The Montreal General Hospital said it admitted 12 people, including six who were in critical condition. Two were listed in serious condition and four were stable.

Martine Millette of the Montreal police said the gunman later shot himself. Constable Philippe Gouin said "in all probability, the suspect has committed suicide."

Student Devansh Smri Vastava said he saw a man in military fatigues with "a big rifle" storm the school's cafeteria.

"He just started shooting at people," Vastava said, adding that he heard about 20 shots fired. He also said teachers ran through the halls telling students to get out.

Other witnesses spoke of a gunman wearing a black trench coat.

"We all ran upstairs. There were cops firing. It was so crazy," Vastava said. "I was terrified. The guy was shooting at people randomly. He didn't care he was just shooting at everybody. I just got out."

Derick Osei, 19, said he walking down the stairs when he saw a man with a gun.

"He ... just started shooting up the place. I ran up to the third floor and I looked down and he was still shooting," Osei said. "He was hiding behind the vending machines and he came out with a gun and started pointing and pointed at me. So I ran up the stairs. I saw a girl get shot in the leg."

Osei said people in the cafeteria were all lying on the floor.

Another student who gave her name as Chloe tearfully recounted seeing the gunman pointing a weapon at people.

"All of a sudden I turned around and saw a man who was all dressed in black," she told radio station 940 News.

"This dude with the clothes started pointing the gun at other people. He was right behind me. He turned around and went in the corner of the cafeteria," she said.

Another student told 940 News that she had seen two people who had been shot, including one who was hit in the neck. The student said a friend told her four people had been shot.

Ingrid Keigan, a 17-year-old student, said she saw one person outside the school who had been shot in the chest.

A SWAT team and canine units were at the campus, going floor by floor to look for victims, Sgt. Giuseppe Boccardi told CNN.

"Most of the students have exited the college grounds," he said.

People have also been evacuated from the nearby Alexis-Nihon shopping center.

Canada's worst mass shooting also happened in Montreal. Gunman Marc Lepin killed 14 women at the Ecole Polytechnic on Dec. 6, 1989.

That shooting spurred efforts for tighter gun laws and greater awareness of societal violence _ particularly domestic abuse. Canada's tighter gun law was achieved mainly as the results of efforts by survivors and relatives of the victims.

Another shooting in Montreal occurred in 1992, when a Concordia University professor killed four colleagues.

Dawson College was the first English-language institution in Quebec's network of university preparatory colleges when it was founded in 1969. It is the largest college of general and vocational education, known by its French acronym CEGEP, in the province.

[Fuzzness 2]

Not the first time this has happened in Montreal

[YuAndDan 153]

I thought they have gun laws up there in Canada and took the guns away from the law-abiding citizens, apparently they forgot to take them away from the criminals.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I thought they have gun laws up there in Canada and took the guns away from the law-abiding citizens, apparently they forgot to take them away from the criminals.

doh!

[derekkj 0]

I thought they have gun laws up there in Canada and took the guns away from the law-abiding citizens, apparently they forgot to take them away from the criminals.

So true!

Scarily enough, Derek worked there awhile back.

[hockeygal 1]

My friend's brother teaches at Dawson. I tried contacting him to make sure all is well, but I doubt he's checking his email right now....

they don't mention any deaths in the article, but the pics show at least one body....

Edited September 13, 2006 by hockeygal

[tomica52 0]

I read about that. Horrible...

[almaty 19]

terrible and just wrong

[dalegg 143]

Guns don't kill people, Canadians kill people

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I thought they have gun laws up there in Canada and took the guns away from the law-abiding citizens, apparently they forgot to take them away from the criminals.

Yeah, they buy them in the US and smuggle them in.

One of the main component of Canadian Firearms Legislation - which did not take firearms away from people but licensed who would be able to use them - was to ensure responsible use and storage of firearms. Criminals and madmen are very hard to legislate - but the death of children from playing with improperly stored firearms and the murder of spouses by an abusive partner are significantly reduced because of Canadian FIrearms legislation.

[Sharon 1]

Guns don't kill people, Canadians kill people

Fukc you, just what the hell is that supposed to mean? If you were trying to be funny, it didn't work, ok?

MY SON goes to that college and I was just a little bit freaked out at work today when I heard the news, ya know? I called Montreal only to get his voice mail and it wasn't till I got home and heard the message from him on our answering machine that he was ok but a bit shaken up as well could be expected, that I could relax.

This is a terrible tragedy. Now saying that 20 were shot, 7 or 8 critically, and one is dead.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/09/...html?eref=yahoo

Edited September 13, 2006 by Sharon

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Guns don't kill people, Canadians kill people

###### you, just what the hell is that supposed to mean? If you were trying to be funny, it didn't work, ok?

deleted. Just saw your edit. Glad to hear he's ok

Edited September 13, 2006 by Gupt

[cmartyn 0]

The fact that this guy couldnt just walk up the street and practice shooting off 30 round semi-automatic clips and drink beer at a state subsidized and constitutionaly protected firing range may have saved a lot of lives. Glad to hear your son is ok. No need to rank on the Canadians.. we all have our issues with Violent crimes.

[Cassie 8]

I thought they have gun laws up there in Canada and took the guns away from the law-abiding citizens, apparently they forgot to take them away from the criminals.

Yeah, they buy them in the US and smuggle them in.

One of the main component of Canadian Firearms Legislation - which did not take firearms away from people but licensed who would be able to use them - was to ensure responsible use and storage of firearms. Criminals and madmen are very hard to legislate - but the death of children from playing with improperly stored firearms and the murder of spouses by an abusive partner are significantly reduced because of Canadian FIrearms legislation.

Your response was much politer and eloquent than my intended response, so thank you.

Terrible, this kind of incident just makes me sick to my stomach. The latest word is that one of the victims has died, as well as the gunman.

Edited September 14, 2006 by Cassie

[dalegg 143]

Guns don't kill people, Canadians kill people

Fukc you, just what the hell is that supposed to mean? If you were trying to be funny, it didn't work, ok?

Sorry.