TORONTO — A student is in hospital after being shot in the chest during a drive-by shooting outside a Toronto high school, police said Thursday as they looked for suspects in the case.
Police said the shooting took place around noon Thursday in the parking lot of Weston Collegiate Institute.
Duty Insp. Ryan Forde said "unknown males" drove by and shot a 15-year-old boy in the chest from their car. Forde couldn't say if the Grade 10 student and the suspects knew each other.
"After he was shot he ran back into the school where he was tended to by teachers and faculty at the school," Forde said. "At that time emergency services was contacted."
Forde said the suspects fled the scene — he could not say how many people were in the car, provide suspect descriptions or vehicle information.
"It was lunchtime ... local traffic, people coming out for lunch," said Forde, who could not confirm if the student was with anyone else when he was shot.
Police had initially said the shooting was targeted but later said it was too soon to tell.
Student Leyah Brissett said she was outside with friends when the lunchtime shooting occurred and her immediate reaction was to "run, don't look back."
"There was a big boom and a lot of people were screaming," said Brissett, who is 14. "It was loud."
"People were crying, running to the bus stops ... Really and truly, nobody knew where it came from," she said.
Brissett said the shooting has made her scared for her safety.
Mohimed Ibrahim said he came to the school to pick up his son for lunch and found a heavy police presence in the area.
"It's very dangerous," he said, noting that his son was safe.
Toronto District School Board spokesperson Ryan Bird said the school was placed in lockdown, which later lifted, and students were relocated to nearby elementary schools.
"Some of our staff immediately jumped in and, quite frankly, were tending to the student who was very clearly injured, and tried to keep him as comfortable as possible until paramedics could arrive," said Bird.
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.
"This is a residential area, if any homeowners in the area have any dashcam or residential camera footage, that would be greatly appreciated, said Forde.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2023.
Fakiha Baig and Jessica Smith, The Canadian Press
