Jordan Manners, 15 shot and killed inside his school, Wednesday afternoon, by an unknown assailant, the first to happen in the City.Shattered HAVEN!!!
Today headline, today’s high 26Celcius; Front Page, "Don’t Die Jordan"... his best friend pleaded . His eyes opened but unseeing. And without saying a word Jordan collapsed at the Floor at the bottom of the stairwell inside their school in the pool of blood.
It was 2:30 PM Wednesday, May 24, the Coroner confirmed that Jordan Manners, just turned l5, a gifted student in Arts and Drama, had been felled by single gunshot to the chest and two hours later was pronounced dead at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, his mother collapsed outside when told of the dreadful news.
Toronto now has the ignominious distinction of having its first fatal shooting inside a school.
There are too many sides to the story of why this sad and tragic incident happened in a place where Children are supposed to be safe. The Police is not giving much information about the motives and the prospect of an arrest for the slaying, but here are some of the accounts from classmates, neighbours, relatives and eyes witnesses leading to the Crime, and some statements from the Police Authorities.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/217623
Also from the Star columnist Rosie Dimanno:
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/217619
Some will suggest that thorough check will be done on schoolchildren backpacks, but there is already a case about to be Decided by the Supreme Court regarding an appeal by the Crown of the Decision by Lower court that the Police dog snipping of a Student backpack charged of possession of elicit drugs was Unreasonable invasion of Privacy.
The courts has been consistent that the Police can not search a person or property without reasonable ground and discovery of such search is illegal and had no force of law.
Until the Courts finally decide that checking of weapons or any other banned materials on schoolchildren or students bags or backpacks is a reasonable limit of rights to freedom from unreasonable search, some of our children will continue bringing guns and knives and drugs in schools, and we may see another incident like this one.
But one thing we have in our side, this is an isolated case, the Very First to happen in our City and we believe that all parties, our leaders, our school officials and police services and social services agencies and parents will again put their heads together and spare no efforts and money to make sure that such will never again Happen.
We mourn with the Jordan's Family and Classmates and Schoolmates and we also encourage anyone with information that they believe will be useful for the police investigations, not to withhold any.
Update:May 28. Toronto Police made an Arrest of one suspects in the slaying of Jordan and another suspect surrendered, after his name and photo was published under judicial authority as the suspect is a minor. Both suspects, 17 are charged of First Degree Murder and both go to the same school. Under the Young Offenders Act, the suspects can not be named and the authorization ended with the youth surrender.
