[su_heading size=”21″]A woman awaits surgery at Sunnybrook Hospital, and another victim has been discharged following a shooting at York University’s Student Centre.[/su_heading]
Toronto Police and Emergency Medical Services arrived at York to respond to the shooting, which occurred outside the Underground Restaurant, after receiving a call around 10:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 6.
The two women were rushed to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, says Joseph Moyer of EMS.
Sources close to the victims have confirmed to Excalibur that their names are Annie Malik and Namra Malik, both York students, and that Annie was shot in the leg. Namra has been sent home, but Annie is to undergo surgery.
“We were siting at the Student Centre, playing cards at one of the tables. This guy tripped on the floor, and as he did so, he shot in our direction,” says Ibrahim Sohail, a second-year human resource management student and friend of the victims. “We all went under the table so the bullet went into Annie’s thigh, and since the bullet went through a chair, the splinters injured Namra’s leg.”
Sohail says the shooting looked like an accident, and Toronto Police do not believe the two women were targeted.
York updated its emergency messaging system following the shooting. Students were being urged to find shelter, with residences under lockdown.
Nosheen Aziz was studying in Scott Library when an announcement was made for students to follow the instructions on emergency monitoring screens.
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“A lot of people were scared,” she says. “We didn’t know what was happening. We were all very panicked, and some people just ended up leaving.”
Aziz says students were allowed to leave the library.
“It wasn’t a proper lockdown,” she says. “There was security, but I could see many people leaving the library.”
Around 1:10 a.m., York tweeted university officials had been advised by police that normal operations on campus could resume.
TTC routes 106, 196, 60, and 41 were rerouted to bypass York due to the police investigation. Full service was resumed at the bus loop shortly after 1:15 a.m.
“I would like to express my thoughts and concerns for our two students who were injured when a firearm was discharged on the evening of March 6th on our Keele campus,” President and Vice Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri said in a statement on Thursday morning.
[su_pullquote]”We were siting at the Student Centre, playing cards at one of the tables. This guy tripped on the floor, and as he did so, he shot in our direction,” says Ibrahim Sohail, a second-year human resource management student and friend of the victims. “We all went under the table so the bullet went into Annie’s thigh, and since the bullet went through a chair, the splinters injured Namra’s leg.”[/su_pullquote]
The university has taken steps to enhance safety on campus, including increasing security patrols and the use of Toronto Police Service, according to Shoukri.
The suspect is described as black, about 5’7 to 6′ in height, and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black coat at the time.
The suspect fled the scene, and police have no further details at the moment, as the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information on the shooting should call Toronto Police at 416-222-TIPS.
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Tamara Khandaker
Editor-In-Chief
