One girl has been confirmed dead and as many as 20 people were hospitalized after a gunman opened fire at Dawson College earlier today. At 12:41p.m., a young man wearing a black trench coat entered the school through the ground floor doors on Boulevard de Maisonneuve, drew a firearm and began shooting at students in the main cafeteria.
Dawson College, located in downtown Montreal and home to 10,000 students, is the largest English-language CEGEP in Quebec.
Richard Lieu, a Dawson student, was present when the shooting started.
"When I heard the first shot I thought it was a firecracker or something like that," he said. "Then I heard a couple more and I heard a girl a few feet behind me crying."
Both Lieu and third-year classmate Andrea Iannicca were mere feet away from the first victims, but didn't get a complete picture of what was going on.
"I heard shots being fired, I saw the shooter," Iannicca said. "Then I got down on the ground and I didn't get back up."
Lieu and Iannicca were able to crawl to safety in the locker complex one floor below, but many of their classmates were not as lucky.
In an informal press conference at 4:30, Montreal Police Chief Yvan Delorme declared that there were a total of 20 victims among the Dawson student population, three of whom suffered serious gunshot wounds and were rushed to hospital in critical condition. The other victims were treated for light wounds and shock. Urgences Santé spokesperson Eric Berry did not confirm any student fatalities during the afternoon press conference, however police later announced the death of a girl who was at the scene.
Unfortunately, Montreal is no stranger to gun violence specifically targeting schools. On Dec. 6, 1989, Marc Lepine entered the University of Montreal's École Polytechnique with several firearms, killing 14 female students and wounding 13 others before turning the gun on himself.
Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay made a point of congratulating the police force and ambulance technicians on the scene for their quick and professional response to the situation.
