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Montreal in shock over shooting
14/09/2006 11:23 - (SA)
Montreal - Canadian authorities were on Thursday still wondering what drove a 25-year-old man to go on a shooting spree inside a Canadian college, killing a woman and wounding 19 others before he was shot dead by police.
Montreal police director Yvan Delorme said there were no indications that the shooting, which took place at midday, was an act of terrorism or motivated by racism. He said the gunman acted alone.
Wednesday's shooting Dawson College, an English-language university preparatory school, paralysed downtown Montreal, as terrified students fled in droves and police blocked off streets, even closing a metro station that accesses the college.
Shot dead by police
The lone shooter, described as a 25-year-old Canadian man, was armed with three weapons when police surrounded him inside the college and shot him dead, Delorme told reporters.
Twenty people were hit by gunfire in the shooting spree, including a woman who died of her injuries at the school, Delorme said. Radio-Canada said the young woman was a 20 years old.
"The 19 others were taken or went themselves to a hospital for treatment," he said.
Medical sources said five of the wounded were in critical condition.
'One of the most frightening moments of my life'
"We were in class. We heard gunshots, a couple of gunshots. We heard a bunch of girls yelling," student Daniel Harrosh, 17, told AFP.
"I opened the door, I saw a bunch of people running, I closed it, then the teacher came. He locked the door and then said something major was going on in the other room. At a certain point, the lights went off. We heard several gunshots, a dozen maybe," Harrosh said.
Another witness, Michel Boyer, told CTV television that he "saw the gunman who was dressed in black and at that time he was shooting at people. It was probably one of the most frightening moments of my life".
Witnesses said the shooter had a Mohawk haircut and appeared to be armed with an AK-47 rifle. According to Radio-Canada, he was of Indian or Sri Lankan origin.
Cowardly
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper described the incident as "a cowardly and senseless act of violence".
He added: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and their loved ones, and to the students and staff of the college who are all victims of this terrible tragedy."
Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay described the incident as a "very unhappy event," but also one that was "isolated".
Quebec Premier Jean Charest said that the whole province was "distressed" by news, and expressed "deep sorrow for the victims, the families, (and) for the parents who have children studying at Dawson".
- AFP
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