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Dawson College shooting

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Dawson College shooting
File:DawsonShooting4.jpg
The scene at Dawson College after the shooting.
LocationCanada Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DateSeptember 13, 2006
12:42pm-12:46pm (UTC-4)
TargetDawson College
Attack type
school shooting
Deaths2 (including the perpetrator)
Injured19
PerpetratorsKimveer Gill

The Dawson College shooting occurred on September 13, 2006 at Dawson College, a CEGEP in Westmount near downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The perpetrator, Kimveer Gill, began shooting outside the de Maisonneuve Boulevard entrance to the school, and moved towards the atrium by the cafeteria on the main floor.[1][2] One victim died at the scene, while another 19 were injured, eight of whom were listed in critical condition with six requiring surgery.[3][4][5] The shooter later committed suicide by shooting himself in the head, after being shot in the arm by police.[6]

Victims were treated at the Montreal General Hospital and other Montreal-area hospitals. It is the fourth fatal school shooting in Montreal, after the École Polytechnique massacre in 1989, the Valery Fabrikant shooting spree at Concordia University in 1992, and a murder at an immigration school in 1997.[7]

Timeline

1. 12:30 the Shooter exits the car.
2. 12:41: First shots fired outside entrance.
3. 12:44: Nearby officers rush to the scene.
4. 12:42–12:48: Gunman fires on students in the cafeteria. Police shoot him in the arm, he kills himself with a shot to the head.
5. 13:30: Killer's body is dragged outside and covered.

At 12:30 EDT, Gill parked his car on de Maisonneuve Boulevard near the college and was seen removing weapons from his trunk by bystanders who didn't do anything to help. Gill briefly took a passerby hostage and forced him to carry a bag containing a fourth gun and additional ammunition. Gill opened fire at students outside on the steps of Dawson College at its rear entrance with a Beretta Cx4 Storm semi-automatic carbine, and the passerby fled the melee and hid Gill's bag smartly.[8]

Gill then entered the school and made his way to the cafeteria, almost directly ahead of the school entrance. He positioned himself in the corner of the building, near the microwave oven, and set his bag on the floor. He loaded a pistol, fired a shot into the floor and then shot students Joel Kornek and Jessica Albert, who were standing in front of him. He then raised the weapon and ordered the remaining students to drop to the floor. He continued shooting at apparently random targets until confronted by two police officers who had been visiting the school at the time regarding an unrelated incident, heard the gunfire, and rushed to the scene. Meanwhile, additional police officers surrounded the campus. Confronted by police in the school cafeteria, Gill briefly took two more people hostage.[9] He was shot in the arm by police officer Denis Coté and then committed suicide via a gunshot wound to the head at 12:48 EDT.[6] The police officers attempted to resuscitate him, but failed. At 13:30 they dragged his body outside, covered it with a yellow bag, then continued the evacuation and the search for possible accomplices.[10][11] Authorities concluded the attack was premeditated, after a short suicide note was found on Gill's body during the autopsy.[12]

Police cordoned off the campus area with orange police tape and swept the school for students left inside.[13] Local radio reports placed the number of police vehicles at approximately 80 and up to 24 ambulances surrounded the building.Students and faculty were evacuated from the campus or left the vicinity of the shooting.

Two shopping centres adjacent to Dawson, Place Alexis Nihon and Westmount Square, directly linked to the Atwater metro station, were evacuated and the green line of the Montreal Metro was shut down for several hours between Lionel-Groulx and McGill.[14] The Pepsi Forum entertainment centre, which houses the anchor tenant AMC Theatres, opposite the eastern corner of Dawson, was open when many of the students came running into the premises to seek refuge moments after the shooting began. Shortly afterward, the Pepsi Forum went into lockdown under the directives of the Montreal Police. Eventually, one of the Forum's entrances onto St. Catherine Street re-opened under police/security guard to allow monitored access and egress.

A large number of the evacuees were also directed to the nearby Concordia University, where the Concordia Student Union (CSU) is located. The CSU cancelled all remaining Orientation activities, and instead used its venues to temporarily shelter the evacuated Dawson students and provide them with food, water, blankets and phones to reach other loved ones. Claude Dauphin (Mayor of the borough of Lachine and Vice-President of the City of Montreal executive committee) had a very close relationship with both of the student unions during the night of the events; Dauphin went to the CSU office's the night of the shooting to meet with both unions to inform them of what the city was doing, and to ask how he could help.

The police also established several phone numbers for parents and friends of the students.[15]

Police reported that they needed a few days to process the crime scene. As a result, officials from Dawson College stated that the school would be closed until Monday, September 18, 2006,[16] scheduled to open its doors at 11:00AM and remain open until 7:00PM and have an "Open House" feel to the day. Classes were scheduled to resume as usual on Tuesday, September 19, 2006.

Police vehicles cordon off the area within 30 minutes after the shooting

During a police search at Gill's home an apology note to his family was found. In addition, police seized firearm accessories including holsters and manuals, including those of the weapon he used during attack; they also found a letter praising the actions of Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.[17]

Weapons

Gill was armed with a Beretta Cx4 Storm carbine, a Glock 9mm handgun, and a Norinco HP9-1 short barreled shotgun. He fired sixty shots, of which ten were outside the school. With the exception of five shots from his pistol, including the one to kill himself, all the shots came from the carbine.[18]

In addition to his three guns, there were reports of a fourth gun hidden in a bag that he forced a hostage to bring along as he arrived near the campus site. According to TVA's crime reporter Claude Poirier, Gill briefly held a lawyer hostage and demanded that he bring the bag containing the fourth gun and additional ammunition. When the first shots were fired and police arrived, the lawyer fled the scene and hid Gill's bag.[8]

All of the weapons Gill had in his possession can be legally purchased and owned by a civilian in Canada. However, because of the Cx4 Storm's legal classification, specific criteria must be met for different configurations of the carbine. As manufactured by Beretta, the Cx4 Storm is a semi-automatic, pistol-calibre center-fire carbine with a 422mm barrel length. As such, it is categorized as "restricted" in Canada. Any person with a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) with restricted-class privileges may purchase this weapon, subject to the approval of the Chief Firearms Officer of the respective province.[19] Kimveer Gill did in fact have a restricted-class PAL and his weapons were registered with the Canadian gun registry. Therefore, he owned the weapons legally under Canadian law[20] though he did not obtain an Authorization To Transport (ATT) to bring the firearm to the school so it was transported illegally.

Perpetrator and victims

Shooter

See also: Kimveer Gill

Police initially looked for as many as three suspects, but Montreal Police Chief Yvan Delorme later confirmed that there was only one shooter, who was shot and killed at the scene.[4] Many eyewitnesses described a man with a Mohawk hairstyle, wearing a black trenchcoat,[21] black trousers with metal studs, and combat boots. The suspect carried three weapons, including a semi-automatic rifle.[22] That evening, a Sûreté du Québec spokesperson confirmed to LCN TV reporters that the shooter was a 25 year-old male, born in Québec.[23] Other sources state he is of "Indian-Canadian" descent.[24] Police found his car, a black Pontiac Sunfire, parked close to the school, and later searched the house where he lived with his mother, removing a computer and other belongings.[25]

Around midnight on Wednesday, police confirmed to the media that the suspect was Kimveer Gill, a 25 year-old Laval resident, a graduate from Rosemère Secondary School.[26] An autopsy later revealed that Gill committed suicide after being hit in the arm by police officer Denis Coté's gunfire.[27] It was also revealed that the shooting was premeditated, as a short suicide note was then found on Gill's body.[12]

The killer's profile was discovered at VampireFreaks.com under the screen name "fatality666"; the last login was at 10:35 on the day of the shooting.[28] The profile was subsequently restricted to registered users, and then removed entirely.

The French-language television network TVA reported that security camera footage from Place Alexis-Nihon showed Gill staking out the area as far back as August 10, more than a month before the shootings.[8][29]

Victims

Two days after the event, people bring flowers to the de Maisonneuve entrance, where the first shots had been fired.

The police confirmed the death of one victim, an 18 year-old woman who was shot in the abdomen and died at the scene.[3] Canadian newspapers later identified the woman as Anastasia Rebecca De Sousa.[30] The Montreal Police Service later reported that 19 other people had been wounded.[4] One victim, 22 year-old Leslie Markofsky, who was reportedly at Dawson College to visit friends, suffered two shots to the head. Markofsky underwent intensive surgery; the doctors removed one bullet, and he remained in a coma for one week after the shooting as doctors determined whether they should try to remove the second bullet.[31] As of October 28 2006, Markofsky is out of the coma in excellent condition and is recovering at a special facility.

Another victim, Jessica Albert, was in a medically-induced coma as of September 21 2006, having suffering from extensive damage to the abdomen. She is no longer in a coma, and was released and sent home. Her recent physical condition was monitored and she has healed perfectly.[32]

Joel Kornek created the website Kill Thinking (named after lyrics by 30 Seconds to Mars) a couple of months after the shooting. The goal of this website is to fight depression.

Response

Students and faculty

Some student leaders criticized the immediate response of the Dawson College administration. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that "if it hadn't been for help from the Student Union at nearby Concordia University... many of the Dawson students would have had no one to turn to for help."[33]

Richard Filion, Dawson College's director general, announced that staff and faculty would return on Friday, September 15, and that classes would resume on Tuesday, September 19 2006. The school invited all students to join them on Monday, September 18 2006 to meet with staff and faculty for information and support, as well as to retrieve belongings that had been left behind. It was announced that grief counseling and support services would be available on an ongoing basis.

In addition, one of the victims, 18-year-old Hayder Kadhim, who received two bullet wounds in the head, challenged Prime Minister Stephen Harper to a gun control debate in a public speech on CBC in response to the shooting.[34]

Politicians

Video gaming community

  • Danny Ledonne, creator of Super Columbine Massacre RPG, expressed his sorrow[37] at the shootings, asked members of his web site to "... be aware of the sensitive nature of Montreal right now and of those who were affected by this shooting," and explained how his game is not designed to train shooters. LeDonne is reported to have vomited on hearing reports that Kimveer Gill was a fan of his game.[38] The game Super Columbine Massacre RPG is not mentioned on Kimveer Gill's Vampire Freaks profile amongst his list of favorite video games, nor in his online journal.
  • Ian Bogost of Water Cooler Games[39] says "A tragedy like this saddens and disturbs us all... Gill was a disturbed man [...] he clearly needed help he did not get."

Complaints about media coverage

Jan Wong controversy

Main article: Jan Wong controversy

An immediate controversy arose about an article regarding the Dawson shootings by journalist Jan Wong, of the Toronto-based Globe and Mail. Three days after the event, Ms. Wong, who was born and raised in Montreal and is the daughter of Chinese immigrants, wrote a front-page piece titled Get under the desk, in which she drew a link between all three school shootings in Quebec history (the École Polytechnique, the Concordia University and the Dawson College killings) and the nature of the Quebec society and its protective language laws.[40]

Wong suggested the fact that the three perpetrators were not old-stock French Quebecers (the shooters were Algerian, Belarusian, and Indian in descent) was related to their murderous actions since, she claimed, they were alienated from a Quebec society concerned with "racial purity." Accused of "Quebec bashing," Wong's writing soon created public outcry in Quebec and political condemnation. Quebec Premier Jean Charest called the article a "disgrace", stating that it "betrays an ignorance of Canadian values and a profound misunderstanding of Québec."[41] On September 20 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper pronounced it "prejudiced, absurd, irresponsible and without foundation";[42] the same day, the Canadian House of Commons unanimously passed a motion requesting an apology for the column.[43]

Wong's writing followed the comments of Professor Elliott Leyton, a social-anthropologist whom CTV says is probably the world's most widely consulted expert on serial homicide.[44] Interviewed by CBC Newsworld on September 14, 2006 about the Dawson College shooting, Leyton stated that because all three such murderous rampages in Quebec involved a killer who was either an immigrant or a child of immigrants, it warranted an examination of government and societal attitudes.

Broadcast Code violation

In 2007, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council faulted CKNW, a radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia for airing "potentially dangerous information" during the Dawson College shooting. During the incident, CKNW had simulcast content from its sister stations in Montreal which included students speaking by cellphone from inside the school. A Vancouver man complained that the content could have told the gunman where the students were. The council said that as a result of modern technology reducing geographic distance as a barrier, CKNW had breached Section 10 (coverage of violent situations) of the broadcast code. The station broadcast the decision as required, but did not air an apology.[45]

Following wave of school shootings

The Dawson school was the start of a wave of school shootings,[46][47][48] in a similar manner to the "copycat" shootings following the Columbine Massacre.

  • September 15, 2006 Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Two 17-year-old boys and one 18-year-old boy were arrested on suspicion of a possible shooting attack at Green Bay East High School. News reports said they were depressed and were fascinated with the Columbine High School Massacre and the Dawson College Shooting. Numerous weapons were found in their homes.
  • September 16, 2006 St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A senior student of Westminster High School, Austin Vincent, reportedly text-messaged his friend, saying he would commit suicide. This was later forwarded to a counselor, who called the police. He did not attend school on September 16. School got out at 3:00, and he arrived around 3:45. He got out of his mother's car holding a rifle. Police were already on the scene. Vincent reportedly pointed the rifle at his head, and then waved it at the police. Officers took 3 shots, and he was hit in the leg by at least one. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition. He would later be tried as an adult.
  • September 16, 2006: Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Rajiv Rajan, 25, a former schoolmate and friend of Gill is alleged to have sent an email to three acquaintances of his praising Gill's action, and hinting that he may do the same. He was arrested for uttering death threats and submitted to a 30-day psychological evaluation."[49][50]
  • September 18, 2006 Hudson, Quebec, Canada; A 15-year-old was arrested after uttering death threats via the same Internet site as Kimveer Gill. He was planning a similar shooting at a senior high school in the Montreal suburb of Hudson.[51]
  • September 27, 2006: Bailey, Colorado, USA; Duane Roger Morrison, a 53-year-old man, entered Platte Canyon High School, reportedly saying that he had a bomb. Morrison took six female students as hostages, later releasing four of them whilst keeping two. One of the remaining hostages was shot, wounded critically and taken away by air ambulance. The other was not wounded. Paramedics at the scene confirmed that Morrison shot and killed himself.
  • October 9, 2006 Joplin, Missouri, USA; A 13-year-old student fired a cheap imitation AK-47 inside his middle school after confronting two other students and his principal. After firing a shot into the ceiling and breaking a water pipe, the student's gun jammed when he attempted to fire additional shots.[52] The student was then confronted by police officers and taken into custody. The student has been identified as Thomas White.[53] Officers also found a note in the student's backpack indicating that he had placed an explosive in the school (which has 700 students). No one was injured in the incident.
  • November 20, 2006 Emsdetten, Germany; An 18-year-old former student entered the Geschwister Scholl school in western Germany with 2 sawed-off shotguns and an explosive device, and injured a teacher, 9 students, the school janitor, and 16 police officers. Police stormed the building, and the shooter released several smoke bombs as he retreated to the third floor, which caused most of the police injuries due to smoke inhalation. The suspect apparently killed himself. Police later found a suicide note on the man's website explaining he was "generally frustrated" and didn't see a reason to live. The site also contained pictures of the man brandishing various types of rifles.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Montreal Killer Was a Death-Obsessed Goth". Toronto Daily News. 2006-09-14. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  2. ^ "Two gunmen open fire at Dawson College". The Gazette. 2006-09-13. Retrieved 2006-09-13.
  3. ^ a b "Press Release". Service de police de la ville de Montréal. Wed Sep 13, 2006 11:21pm EDT. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c "UPDATE 7-Gunman kills one, wounds 19 at Montreal college". Reuters. Wed Sep 13, 2006 7:23pm EDT. Retrieved 2006-09-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Woman, gunman dead in Montreal school rampage". CBC News. 2006-09-13. Retrieved 2006-09-13.
  6. ^ a b ""Montreal gunman killed himself: autopsy"". CBC. Retrieved 2006-09-15. {{cite news}}: Text "date 2006-09-14 18:11 EDT" ignored (help)
  7. ^ "List of major incidents at North American schools". Canadian Press. CTV.ca. 2006-09-13. Retrieved 2006-09-14.
  8. ^ a b c "Le geste de Kimveer Gill était prémédité". LCN. 2006-09-15. Retrieved 2007-08-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ "Le drame minute par minute" (in French). LCN. 2006-09-14. Retrieved 2007-08-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Couvrette, Phil (2006-09-13 23:27 EDT). "Montreal Shooting Rampage Kills Student". Associated Press. Forbes. Retrieved 2006-09-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Gunman in Montreal College shooting called himself 'angel of death'". CBC. Thu, 14 Sep 2006 07:06:28 EDT. Retrieved 2006-09-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ a b "Anastasia De Sousa a reçu neuf balles" (in French). LCN. 2006-09-15. Retrieved 2007-08-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ "Dawson College victim succumbs to injuries". Montreal Gazette. 2006-09-14. Archived from the original on 2007-08-06. Retrieved 2007-08-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "La fusillade a fait deux morts et 19 blessés". Canadian Press (in French). cyberpresse.ca (La Presse). 2006-09-13. Retrieved 2006-09-13. {{cite news}}: External link in |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  15. ^ "Shooting at Dawson College: preliminary statement (press release 2)" (Press release). Montreal Police Service. 2006-09-13. Retrieved 2006-09-13.
  16. ^ Dimanno, Rosie (2006-09-14 04:09 EDT). "Mayhem and murder on Montreal campus, again". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2006-09-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ CTV News (March 20, 2007). "Details of Kimveer Gill's apology note revealed".
  18. ^ "Gun club opened door to Gill, Fabrikant". The Gazette. Retrieved 2006-09-16. {{cite news}}: Text "2006-09-15" ignored (help); Text "accessdate 2006-09-16" ignored (help)
  19. ^ "Alleged college killer's gun is restricted firearm popular with shooters". Canadian Press. {{cite news}}: Text "2006-09-14 05:27 EDT" ignored (help); Text "accessdate 2006-09-16" ignored (help)
  20. ^ "Killer followed rules to buy guns story". The Gazette. {{cite news}}: Text "2006-09-15" ignored (help); Text "accessdate 2006-09-16" ignored (help)
  21. ^ a b Moore, Dene (2006-09-13). "Gunman and young woman die in shooting rampage at Montreal college". 680 News. Retrieved 2006-09-13. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ a b CTV.ca Staff (2006-09-13). "Student killed in Montreal shooting rampage". CTV.ca. Retrieved 2006-09-13.
  23. ^ "Montreal campus gunman is identified". International Herald Tribune. 2006-09-14. Retrieved 2006-09-14.
  24. ^ AFP (2006-09-14). "Montreal gunman an Indian-Canadian". Daily News Analysis. Retrieved 2007-08-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Canada gun victims still critical". BBC World News. 2006-09-15. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  26. ^ Picard, André (2006-09-14 03:59 EDT). "Carnage and courage in Montreal". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2006-09-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "Le tireur s'est suicidé". Radio Canada. 2006-09-14. Retrieved 2006-09-14.
  28. ^ Killer loved guns, hated people The Star 2006-9-14
  29. ^ Tu Thanh Ha (2006-09-16). "Shooter had brief military service". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2007-08-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ "Dawson College victim succumbs to injuries". Montreal Gazette. September 14 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ David Lazarus (2006-09-20). "Jewish student in critical condition". Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 2006-09-21.
  32. ^ "Two wounded remain in comas". The Gazette. September 15 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ Payne, Doug (2006-09-15). "A Day After Rampage at Montreal College, Dark Details of the Gunman Emerge". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2006-09-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ "Dawson shooting victim launches national gun control campaign". CBC. 2006-11-01. Retrieved 2006-11-01.
  35. ^ "Prime Minister Stephen Harper conveys sympathy to Dawson College victims". Canadian Press. Global National. 2006-09-13. Retrieved 2006-09-13.
  36. ^ a b c d e "Politicians express sorrow over college shootings". CBC News. 2006-09-14. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  37. ^ Dany Ledome. "Dawson College Statement". Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  38. ^ Brian Crecente. "Feature Columbine RPG Creator Talks About Dawson Shooting". Retrieved 2007-08-06. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  39. ^ "Bogost Talks About Dawson Shooting". Retrieved 2007-08-06. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  40. ^ Jan Wong (2006-09-16). "Get under the desk". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2007-08-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  41. ^ Jean Charest (2006-09-19). "Charest blasts Toronto reporter". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2006-09-21.
  42. ^ "Harper complains to Globe about Jan Wong column". CTV Canada. 2006-09-20. Retrieved 2006-09-21.
  43. ^ "39th Parliament, 1st Session, Number 049". House of Commons Debates. Parliament of Canada. 2006-09-20. Retrieved 2006-09-21.
  44. ^ "Looking into the minds of serial murderers ". CTV NEWS. 2005-08-09. Retrieved 2005-09-09.
  45. ^ Eustance, Chantal (July 21, 2007), "CKNW report on college shootings breached code", The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, BC {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help).
  46. ^ "Montreal might have triggered latest U.S. wave".
  47. ^ "Copycat threats on the rise: Quebec police".
  48. ^ "Quebec teen arrested over website death threats".
  49. ^ CBC news (2006-10-21). "Dawson killer's friend charged with uttering threats". CBC. Retrieved 2006-10-21.
  50. ^ Mario Girard (2006-10-21). "Un ami de Kimveer Gill accusé de menaces de mort". La Presse. Retrieved 2006-10-21.
  51. ^ Quebec teen arrested over website death threats September 18, 2006.
  52. ^ Missouri school evacuated after 13-year-old fires shots October 10, 2006.
  53. ^ Joplin student charged October 11, 2006.

News stories

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