Vigil held for international student shot dead outside Toronto subway station
A vigil was held Sunday for a 21-year-old international student who was shot and killed outside of a downtown Toronto subway station earlier this week.
Family, friends, and colleagues of Kartik Vasudev gathered at Nathan Phillips Square and held a moment of silence for the Indian student who was studying marketing at Seneca College and had arrived in Canada just four months ago.
“As an international student myself, this tragedy has greatly impacted me as many international students have given up so much to move here,” Ritik Sharma, president of the Seneca Student Federation, said. “My heart is broken.”
Vasudev was on his way to work Thursday evening when he was shot outside of Sherbourne subway station in Toronto’s St. James Town neighbourhood.
An off-duty paramedic at the scene administered first aid to Kartik before he was rushed to St. Michael’s Hospital and pronounced deceased.
No arrests have been made in the shooting, but police have said the suspect is a Black male standing five-foot-six to five-foot-seven inches tall with a medium build who was last seen carrying a handgun and walking south on Glen Road toward Howard Street.
Vasudev’s father Jitesh spoke with CTV News Toronto from India on Saturday and described the killing as a “brutal murder” that saw his son shot as many as seven times.
Kartik Vasudev, 21, is shown in an image provided to CP24 by his family.
Seneca College President David Agnew was present at Sunday’s ceremony and spoke about the seemingly “random” nature of the shooting.
“It is beyond comprehension for all of us. I can’t imagine, as a parent, the feelings of his parents right now, so many thousands of miles away,” he said. “I know that they will draw great comfort from seeing all of you here knowing that your thoughts and your prayers are with them as well as we seek answers to why this possibly could have happened.”
The Consulate General of India is currently working with Vasudev’s family to bring his body back to India. A GoFundMe page with of goal of raising $50,000 to support his family has been established. At time of writing, nearly $25,000 has been raised.
Anyone with information related to the shooting is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.