Police describe deadly shooting inside east-end Toronto high school as 'execution;' 14-year-old boy charged

Police are describing a fatal shooting at an east-end Toronto high school as an “execution,” and have charged a 14-year-old boy in connection with the case.

At about 3 p.m. Monday, emergency crews were called to David and Mary Thomson Collegiate, which is near Midland and Lawrence avenues.

Police said that the 18-year-old victim, now identified as Grade 12 student Jahiem Robinson, was pronounced dead on scene after being located with a gunshot wound near the back doors of the school.

Police said Tuesday that the suspect fired at Robinson from behind and then fled the area in pursuit of a second victim.

He allegedly assaulted a second victim and pointed a gun at him, but police said Tuesday “the gun did not fire," police said.

“I can tell you when I was first updated with the murder information yesterday it was described to me as an execution,” Insp. Hank Idsinga said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

“I've seen the video which captures the murder and that's exactly how I would describe it with the suspect running up behind the victim and shooting them at point blank range. And then attempt to do the same to a second victim,” he said.

Idsinga said he does not know why the “firearm did not function” when the suspect attempted to shoot a second victim.

Investigators said Monday that they were treating the entire main floor of the school as a “crime scene.”

By Monday evening just before 7 p.m. police had taken the suspect into custody.

“By the time we were starting to catch up to the accused, he was actually on his way into 41 division to turn himself in. So he was arrested very close to the police station,” Idsinga said.

He was charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

He cannot be identified per the terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Idsinga said the suspect attended the school and believes that he is in Grade 9.

He appeared virtually in court at 1911 Eglinton Avenue East on Tuesday morning.

Students were told to switch to virtual learning on Tuesday, and support staff were available online.

Grief counsellors were also sent to a community centre near the school to assist grieving students and staff, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) said.

"It’s shocking, our staff who knew these young people, who talked to them yesterday, are struggling to process how that’s possible," TDSB Director Colleen Russell-Rawlins said. "You heard the mayor ask questions that we’re all asking ourselves, what could drive a student to do something like that, what could we have done to intervene?"

The board said it is also conducting a parallel investigation into the incident.

Students at the school will learn remotely on Wednesday as well as the investigation continues.

ONE-THIRD OF HOMICIDE VICTIMS & ACCUSED UNDER 20 YEARS OLD IN 2022

Deputy Police Chief Myron Demkiw noted that so far this year, one-third of all homicide victims and accused individuals in Toronto homicide cases are under 20 years old.

Two cases, however, involved accused persons under 15 years old.

“This fact is disturbing and demands that something must change. There is no rational explanation for why a 13, 14 or 15-year-old child should have access to illegal firearms, let alone feel compelled to use them,” Demkiw said.

Between 2015 and 2020, Demkiw said, the average age of those involved in gun violence was 25 years old. In 2021, the average age dropped to 20 years old.

Demkiw added that there are more shots being fired at crime scenes with an almost 50 per cent increase in shell casings compared to last year.

“Additionally, we have seen a three-fold increase in higher capacity magazines as well as an increase in the modification of firearms to fire bullets in rapid succession,” Demkiw said.

The majority of firearms, Demkiw said, are coming from the United States.

Last summer, the City of Toronto implemented a 10-year community safety plan, called SafeTO, to help combat gun violence across the city.

Demkiw said the plan includes a multi-sectional approach to address gun and gang activity.

“This plan is a plan that we are very much engaged with our city partners on, calls for a multi-sectoral response to gun and gang activity. And what that basically means is we need to bring all sectors together in a comprehensive, coordinated and collaborative way so that we can address all aspects of gun and gang violence.”