Police identify teen shot and killed outside Scarborough high school
Posted November 1, 2022 10:24 am.
Last Updated November 1, 2022 4:30 pm.
Toronto police have identified the victim killed in a fatal double shooting outside of a Scarborough high school on Monday.
Officers responded to a shooting outside Woburn Collegiate Institute, in the area of Markham and Ellesmere roads, just as classes were being let out around 3:22 p.m.
Police say a male teen was shot in front of the school. He was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A 15-year-old boy walked into a nearby hospital with gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a trauma centre and is now in stable condition.
The deceased victim has been identified as 18-year-old Jefferson Peter Shardeley Guerrier of Toronto.
In a letter to parents and students, Guerrier was identified as a former student at Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute in Scarborough — about four kilometres away from Woburn.
“It is with great sadness that we write to inform you that the victim in yesterday’s incident was Jefferson Guerrier, a former Lester B Pearson CI student,” principal Anthony Hack wrote.
“It is a somber time for all of us in the school community as we mourn the tragic loss of a young life. We know that you will join us in expressing our deepest condolences to Jefferson’s grieving family, friends, and former teachers and classmates.”
Hack said Guerrier attended the school from 2017 to 2022 and was involved Pearson Band and the Skateboarding Club, saying he had a “playful and jovial nature.”
Police have not been able to confirm if Guerrier, or the injured teen, were currently attending Woburn.
Investigators are still searching for a suspect who fled the scene. He is described as a teenage boy with a thin build and was last seen wearing dark clothing.
Woburn Collegiate was put in lockdown following the shooting. Students were eventually allowed to exit the school out the side doors with the assistance of officers.
Social workers supporting east Toronto school community after shooting
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) confirmed the school is open for classes on Tuesday, and social workers are on-site to provide support to staff and students.
“If there’s something that was required, in addition to that, we do have, obviously, relationships with community supports,” TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird said.
TDSB security guards were also at the school, as well as Toronto police.
“We wanted to make sure that security was there, not only to make people feel safer but just out of an abundance of caution,” Bird said. “They’ll stay for as long as needed.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said news of the shooting was difficult to hear.
“Kids should feel safe going to school,” Trudeau said Tuesday.
“We need to make sure we’re doing everything we can to support communities to reduce the amount of gun violence in our cities and across our country.”
With files from The Canadian Press and Michael Talbot
