Shooting at Montreal University

[emzie]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...treal_shooting_060913/20060913?hub=TopStories

Two suspected gunmen are dead in a chaotic shooting scene at a college in downtown Montreal that has left three people in critical condition.

"Government sources are saying two of the gunmen are dead," said CTV's Jed Kahane, reporting from Montreal. "One may have taken his own life, the other was shot by police."

Kahane said police received a call about the shooting at just before 1 p.m. ET. There were questions about whether a third gunman was also involved.

Dawson College is located at the corner of Atwater and Sherbrooke in the heart of downtown Montreal.

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 houses about 10,000 students.

Some students and teachers have barricaded themselves in classrooms, and are waiting for police to rescue them from the school.

One woman called 940 News from a lab on the seventh floor, where she is holed up with as many as 40 students and one teacher.

"We're in the lab, which is on the seventh floor, and we're waiting for police to come and get us," she said.

"We've locked the doors and we've sealed it with the tables. We're still scared. Everyone's been evacuated, except us."

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.

"Many people are crying as they are coming out, worried about who might still be inside the building and shocked by what happened," said CTV's Genevieve Beauchemin, reporting from the scene.

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.

So is this how far we've not come since '89?

 

[Bamspeedy]

CNN has been showing pretty much non-stop coverage of this. In '89 it was a lone gunman who didn't get accepted into a program. I doubt that is the motive this time.

 

[Babbler]

My borther going there.

I hope he is alright.

 

[De Lorimier]

My hope is with you Babbler. Hopefully he turns out ok.

The 89 massacre was about women. The shooter hated them and wanted to kill the most possible. He killed 13 that night.

Valeri Fabrikant,a teacher, killed four colleagues in 92 at Concordia university.

I've been watching this for two hours now. FYI Dawson is a cegep, not a university. It's the biggest english-speaking cegep in town. I'm shocked and can only hope for the best, wich seems hard to do at this point.

Witnesses on tv said that a young white man (early 20's), witha mohawk hiarcut and a black trench coat entered the cafeteria around noon heavily armed. Now the media is reporting two or more shooters, with one killed and one "neutralized".

 

[Bamspeedy]

The 89 massacre was about both women and him not getting accepted.

He had applied for admission into the engineering school but was rejected. He blamed it on affirmative action which kept him out in place of a woman.

He killed 14 women (13 students and one employee of the university) and injured thirteen others before committing suicide.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/École_Polytechnique_Massacre

Killed 14, wounded 13.

 

[Taliesin]

This is... shocking. I used to walk by Dawson all the time on the way to McGill. I am shaken.

New report from CBC:

Spoiler :

Two gunmen who opened fire in a downtown Montreal college Wednesday afternoon are dead, and police are hunting for a third suspect.

Police direct a man running to take cover during the shooting at Dawson College in downtown Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/ Canadian Press) Police direct a man running to take cover during the shooting at Dawson College in downtown Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/ Canadian Press)

At least 16 people were injured in a shooting rampage that terrorized students and staff at Dawson College, a CEGEP serving about 10,000 students.

Montreal General Hospital officials say 12 people have been admitted, six of them in critical condition, two in serious condition and the rest in stable condition.

Montreal police confirmed that at least one suspect was "neutralized," but did not provide details on how the gunman died.

"Whether he did it to himself or not, I can't yet say," said spokesman Yan Lafrenière.

Television images showed police officers dragging a bloody body out of the main doors of the building.

Students inside Dawson College told reporters they heard several shots in the building around 1 p.m.

Eyewitnesses say they saw a tall skinny man, wearing a black trench coat and a Mohawk haircut, walk into the cafeteria carrying a large gun. He apparently fired several shots.

'The most scary thing that has ever happened to me'

Student Michel Boyer sought shelter behind a reception desk after seeing a gunman and fleeing from the vicinity of the shootings.

"I thought this was fake, and it was just an excuse to get out of class," he told CBC Newsworld. "I did run away as soon as I did see that it was real."

His voice shaking, he added, "It was the most scary thing that has ever happened to me."

Boyer said he saw at least one man holding a gun.

"I'm only 19 and to have flashes of your life and the people that you love going by you, it should not be allowed."

Dawson College instructor Arielle Reid said she was in her office when the shooting began.

"I heard the shots and a student ran into my office," she told CBC Newsworld. "People don't know what is going on and they don't know what to do."

Students flee building

Hundreds of students fled the building, and the area was cordoned off. Police officers wearing bulletproof vests kept people away from the college.

"They're telling me, 'Go the other way, lady, you're in the line of fire,' " said CBC News reporter Nancy Wood at the scene.

Hundreds of officers surrounded the building in downtown Montreal, cordoning off a park facing the school, as well as the Alexis Nihon Plaza, a nearby shopping centre.

A woman is taken from the shooting scene to a waiting ambulance. (Paul Chiasson/ Canadian Press) A woman is taken from the shooting scene to a waiting ambulance. (Paul Chiasson/ Canadian Press)

Police were still combing through the college floor by floor and room by room to secure the building, nearly one and half hours after the first shots were heard. They've set up a security perimeter that spans Atwater, Sherbrooke and Maisonneuve streets.

Public transit officials have closed the metro system's green line, which serves Dawson College, in order to allow a SWAT team to sweep the area.

Similarities to notorious Montreal shooting

The shooting raised chilling memories of Dec. 6, 1989, when 25-year-old Marc Lepine gunned down 14 women at Montreal's École Polytechnique before fatally shooting himself.

Lepine roamed the school for 45 minutes, shouting, "I hate feminists," as he opened fire on the female engineering students.

His use of a 30-round magazine brought immediate calls for gun control. In response, the federal government introduced a national firearms registry.

Dawson students sheltered nearby

Students and staff sought refuge at nearby Concordia University.

The student union is running an emergency centre at the D.B Clarke auditorium on Maisonneuve Street, where psychologists are on hand to assist Dawson students and staff.

Family members of Dawson College students can call (514) 280-2880 or (514) 280-2806 for more information, police said.

16 people shot, two gunmen killed. Apparently one of them openly carried a semi-automatic down Sherbrooke. The whole area is crawling with police and SWAT people, from what I hear.

God, Babbler, I hope your brother is okay. The article gives numbers you can call for information.

 

[Ecclesiastes]

You know, banning wearing black trenchcoats at school might solve someof there problems, I mean seriously, they always seem to be wearing black trenchcoats.

 

[Taliesin]

I don't think trenchcoats are the issue. The guy just walked up to the building holding a machine gun.

 

[Mulholland]

Gone are the kinder gentler days of Cegep. Now we have to get ready for metal detectors and beefed up security. I'd just like to thank these a--holes for making a great instution of learning into yet anoter place of fear and paranoia. I also really hope those critically injured make a recovery.

What drives these kids to take such drastic action against thier peers?

 

[Xanikk999]

The 89 massacre was about both women and him not getting accepted.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/École_Polytechnique_Massacre

Killed 14, wounded 13.

Im not sympathising with the gunmen in that one but they really should do away with affirmative action. Its reverse discrimination plain and simple.

White men born in this day in age shouldnt have to face reverse discrimination for things commited hundreds of years ago.

I hope your friend is ok babbler.

 

[Captain Planet]

I was watching this develop over the wire in class today at the U of Windsor. I'll be transferring to Toronto soon and it really makes you wonder about the problems these people are facing in life.

My sympathies to our brothers and sisters at Montreal.

 

[Xanikk999]

Something like this happened in the U.S also awhile back. It was the tragedy that we had to deal with before 9-11.

Columbine massacre.

 

[Captain Planet]

Something like this happened in the U.S also awhile back. It was the tragedy that we had to deal with before 9-11.

Columbine massacre.

Much of that movie (Michael Moore, Bowling....) was filmed in southern Ontario. More importantly though is that this has occured before in 1989 at Montreal, which makes it all the worse albeit different circumstances.

 

[pboily]

White men born in this day in age shouldnt have to face reverse discrimination for things commited hundreds of years ago.

Affirmative action had nothing to do with it: Lepine (the shooter) spent numerous years in colleges but never finished any of his studies at any one of them. His application to the Polytechique's engineering school was turned down because he didn't have the prerequisites.

At best, AA (or The Employment Equity Act, as our different version is called) gives yet another loser a ready-made excuse for his failures.

 

[Raisin Bran]

Im just happy My GF does not work Downtown anymore !

Babbler I hope your brother is allright

 

[sysyphus]

A sad day for all of Canada.

I hope this does not lead to a new level of security. Things like this while horribly tragic are too rare to justify another knock at our society.

Babbler, best hopes for your brother and your family.

 

[El_Machinae]

My borther going there.

I hope he is alright.

Dude: get back to us. Let us know if your brother is okay.

 

[Irish Caesar]

You know, banning wearing black trenchcoats at school might solve someof there problems, I mean seriously, they always seem to be wearing black trenchcoats.

Wouldn't you prefer to let people wear black trenchcoats so you know who to watch extra-carefully?

 

[Xanikk999]

Wouldn't you prefer to let people wear black trenchcoats so you know who to watch extra-carefully?

That doesnt do any good if he has a gun at the time....

Are you going to say? Hey put down that gun!

 

[Babbler]

Thank; my brother is fine. My initial concern was for my father, who also works there, and my friend. Neither had classes today.

I doubt there going to any big increases in society, unlike September 11th.