Student injured in shooting outside Weston C.I. in Toronto

A 15-year-old boy continues to fight for his life after a shooting outside a high school in Toronto’s northwest end.

Police were called to Weston Collegiate Institute on Pine Street, near Lawrence Avenue West and Jane Street, around noon for reports of a shooting.

One male youth was located with gunshot wounds, and a suspect or group of suspects fled the area. Police said the victim’s injuries were considered life-threatening, and he was rushed to a trauma centre.

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) confirmed a grade 10 student was shot outside the high school during lunch hour. The boy’s parents have been notified.

“When we heard from the other students that there was a shooting, our hearts stopped for a minute,” an unnamed student tells CityNews. “You come to school to learn, you don’t come to school to die.”

“Our parents are at work, they shouldn’t have to worry about their kids being shot.”

Insp. Ryan Forde told reporters that the student was shot in the chest in the parking lot and that investigators are looking into the possibility of this being a drive-by shooting. Forde said it remains unclear if the shooting was targeted.

TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird said the lockdown has slowly been lifted, and students have relocated to nearby Weston Memorial Junior Public School and C.R. Marchant.

No suspect description has been released.

“One incident is too many,” said TDSB Director of Education Colleen Russel-Rawlins, who added they cannot solve this issue alone.

“And that’s why we need to work together to address what it is we are seeing, and I really call on all levels of government to urgently think about how we can provide greater supports for children and youth and their families.”

Three teenagers were arrested last May following separate shootings involving a pellet gun, with one incident occurring at Weston Collegiate Institute.

A 15-year-old boy was shot in the head and arm with a pellet gun on school property. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Two teens fled the scene but were located and arrested not far from the school. Police said both were in possession of pellet guns when discovered by officers.