Three teenagers face charges after separate shots with shotguns at two Toronto schools.
The first incident was on Monday, when a student was shot inside a school in the far west of the city around 12:45 p.m., according to police. The school, in the Bloor Street and Dundas Street West area, closed on Monday afternoon.
A 17-year-old girl was taken to hospital with a life-threatening injury. A 15-year-old boy has been charged with possession of a dangerous weapon.
“We understand that this incident is deeply troubling and emotionally stressful for the school community,” the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) said in a statement to CBC News on Tuesday.
Shortly after 4 p.m. Monday, police were called to a second school in the Weston Road and Pine Street area after a 15-year-old boy was shot in the head and arm with a handgun. pellets on school property.
He was taken to hospital with injuries that did not endanger his life.
Police found two teenagers with shotguns nearby.
A 15-year-old suspect is charged with assault with a weapon, possession of a dangerous weapon and threats, while a 17-year-old suspect is charged with carrying a concealed weapon.
The shootings are being investigated separately and officers are asking any witnesses or anyone with information to contact them.
Police also remind people who have shotguns or BBs to use them in a “safe and legal way.”
“Very scared,” says a local neighbor
“It’s very scary,” said Bibul Chhabra, a local resident who lives near the school in the Bloor and Dundas area.
“I think the government needs to do something to strengthen security … especially for children, if it happens in schools.”
Last week, several schools in nearby Scarborough also went into blockade following reports of a man in the area with a rifle. Police later discovered the weapon was a shotgun, according to the Ontario police watchdog. The 27-year-old was shot dead by police.
Police responded Thursday to reports of a man with what appeared to be a rifle near William G. Davis Junior Public School in Port Union, Ontario. A 27-year-old man carrying a shotgun was killed by police. (Evan Mitsui / CBC)
The incident occurred two days after a gunman entered the classroom of a Texas elementary school and killed 19 children and two teachers.
A few days later, two schools in the York region were placed under precaution and security following a threat posted online by a teenager: with what appeared to be a firearm.
“The police who respond to these calls for weapons are often in the position of having to make quick decisions about whether the weapon is real, a toy or a replica, which could have important consequences,” police said. of York in a press release.