On September 13, 2006, 25-year-old Kimveer Singh Gill opened fire at Dawson College, a CEGEP located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Gill began by shooting outside the de Maisonneuve Boulevard entrance to the school, before moving towards the atrium by the cafeteria on the main floor. One victim died at the scene, while another 19 were injured, eight of whom were listed in critical condition, with six requiring surgery. The shooter later committed suicide, after being shot in the arm by a police officer. It was the third fatal school shooting in Montreal, after the École Polytechnique massacre in 1989 and the shooting spree at Concordia University in 1992.
Shooting
Shortly before 12:40 p.m. EDT, Gill parked his car on de Maisonneuve Boulevard about 100 metres from the college campus, and was seen removing bags and a semi-automatic carbine from his trunk by bystanders. One of the bystanders called 911 to report Gill. As Gill walked towards the college, he briefly took a passerby hostage, forcing him to carry a bag containing the Norinco shotgun, four knives, a crowbar, and additional ammunition. As Gill and the hostage approached the college, they saw a police vehicle pull over outside the college. Two police officers were visiting the school at the time regarding an unrelated incident about a drug deal.
Upon seeing the police car, Gill fired 10 shots from his carbine at students outside on the rear entrance steps, emptying the gun. The hostage fled the scene, throwing Gill's bag away. The first shots were fired at 12:42:01 p.m. Gill injured several students outside the college before jumping over a small wall to enter the school. One of the police officers got out of his vehicle and chased Gill into the college, shouting at him to drop his weapon.
Gill entered the school at 12:42:12 p.m., making his way to the school cafeteria almost directly ahead of the school entrance. At 12:42:24 p.m., Gill positioned himself in the corner of the building, near a vending machine, setting his bag and carbine on the floor. He loaded a Glock pistol and shot students standing in front of him, wounding several including Anastasia De Sousa. The police officer who chased Gill tried to approach him and leaned against a wall in the cafeteria. Gill reloaded his carbine and fired at the officer. The officer's partner arrived to assist him. After Gill had fired at the officers for several minutes, taunting them, both officers were told by a sergeant to fall back.
Gill then fired at students crawling to escape the atrium. After wounding students and an employee of the college, Gill took a male student hostage. The hostage lied to Gill about the locations of officers. Gill asked if De Sousa was dead. The hostage said that he didn't know but pleaded with Gill to be allowed to take her outside, promising to come back. Gill asked another student if De Sousa was dead, who also told Gill that he didn't know. Gill fired several more shots into De Sousa from his carbine, yelling, "Now she's dead!"
Additional police officers arrived at the college. Some entered the floor above the cafeteria while others surrounded the campus. One of the officers shouted at Gill from the floor above. He exchanged gunfire with Gill, nearly shooting him. The officer fell back and repositioned himself. At one point, Gill aimed his Glock under his chin while announcing that it was his last day. He was interrupted by movement from the floor above and began firing in that direction with his carbine.
Throughout the standoff, Gill repeatedly peeked out from behind a corner and also tried stepping out before returning.
At 1:01 p.m., Gill took two students hostage, including the student he had previously taken hostage. He ordered one hostage to retrieve a bag filled with ammunition, then forced the hostages to precede him as he walked north. Officer Denis Côté, who was located on the floor above, fired two quick shots at Gill at 1:01:36 p.m. Gill was struck in the right elbow, the bullet only going through muscle. Gill's carbine was also shot in its stock, which struck Gill in the chest causing a bruise. Gill fell to his knees and placed the Glock in his mouth before shooting himself at 1:01:42 p.m. At the same time, Côté fired two more shots, hitting a garbage can.
The police officers attempted to resuscitate him, but failed. At 1:30 p.m., police officers dragged Gill's body outside, covered it with a yellow bag, then continued the evacuation and the search for possible accomplices. Authorities concluded the attack was premeditated, after a short suicide note was found on Gill's body during the autopsy.
The shooter discharged his rifle 72 times and his pistol six times during the shooting.
The television network TVA reported that security camera footage from Place Alexis Nihon showed Gill staking out the area as far back as August 10, more than a month before the shootings.
Victims
The police confirmed the death of one victim, an 18-year-old woman who was shot in the abdomen and died on the scene. Canadian newspapers later identified the woman as Anastasia Rebecca De Sousa. She had been shot a total of nine times. Part of Dawson's Peace Garden is dedicated to her memory.
The Montreal Police Service later reported that 19 other people had been wounded. One victim, who was reportedly at Dawson College to visit friends, suffered two shots to the head. He underwent intensive surgery; the doctors removed one bullet, and he remained in a coma for one week after the shooting as doctors determined whether they should try to remove the second bullet. After two weeks on a ventilator, he emerged from the coma and as of 3 November 2006 was recovering.
Investigation
Police initially looked for as many as three suspects, but Montreal Police Chief Yvan Delorme later confirmed that there was only one shooter, who shot himself fatally on the scene. Many eyewitnesses described a man with a Mohawk hairstyle, wearing a black trench coat, black trousers with metal studs, and combat boots. The suspect carried three weapons, including a semi-automatic carbine.
That evening, a Sûreté du Québec spokesperson confirmed to LCN TV reporters that the shooter was a 25-year-old male, born in Québec. Police found his car, a black Pontiac Sunfire, parked close to the school, and later searched the house where he lived with his mother, seizing a computer and other belongings.
Around midnight on Wednesday, police confirmed to the media that the suspect was Kimveer Gill, a 25-year-old Laval resident, a graduate from Rosemere High School. An autopsy later revealed that Gill committed suicide after being hit in the arm by police officer Denis Côté's gunfire. It was revealed that Gill's actions were premeditated; a short suicide note was found on Gill's body.
During a police search at Gill's home, an apology note to his family was found. In addition, police seized firearm accessories including holsters and manuals, including those of the firearm he used during the attack; they also found a letter praising the actions of Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.
Aftermath
Police cordoned off the campus area and swept the school for students left inside. Local radio reports placed the number of police vehicles at approximately 80 and up to 24 ambulances surrounded the building. Students and faculty were evacuated from the campus or left the vicinity of the shooting.
Two shopping centres adjacent to Dawson, Place Alexis Nihon and Westmount Square, directly linked to the Atwater metro station, were evacuated and the green line of the Montreal Metro was shut down for several hours between Lionel-Groulx and McGill. The Pepsi Forum entertainment centre, opposite the eastern corner of Dawson, was open when many of the students came running into the premises moments after the shooting began. Shortly afterward, the Pepsi Forum went into lockdown under the directives of the Montreal Police. Eventually, one of the Forum's entrances onto St. Catherine Street re-opened under police/security guard to allow monitored access and egress.
A large number of the evacuees were also directed to the nearby Concordia University, where the Concordia Student Union (CSU) is located. The CSU cancelled all remaining Orientation activities, and instead used its venues to temporarily shelter the evacuated Dawson students and provide them with food, water, blankets, and phones to reach other loved ones. A coordination team was put in place from the CSU, and the DSU used the Sir George Williams campus as a temporary crisis centre and offered counselling (psychologist, psychiatrist) to traumatized students and staff. Claude Dauphin (Mayor of the borough of Lachine and vice-president of the City of Montreal executive committee) had a very close relationship with both of the student unions during the night of the events; Dauphin went to the CSU office's the night of the shooting to meet with both unions to inform them of what the city was doing, and to ask how he could help.
The police also established several phone numbers for parents and friends of the students.
Police reported that they needed a few days to process the crime scene. As a result, officials from Dawson College stated that the school would be closed until Monday, September 18, 2006, scheduled to open its doors at 11:00 a.m. and remain open until 7:00 p.m. and have an "Open House" feel to the day. Classes were scheduled to resume as usual on Tuesday, September 19, 2006.
A follow-up study conducted by the McGill University Health Centre Research Institute found that 30% of Dawson students at the time of the shooting suffered mental health consequences including post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, alcohol dependence, and social phobia, a level twice that found in the general population. Approximately 18% of respondents developed a mental health disorder despite never having had one before.
Perpetrator
Kimveer Gill was a 25-year-old Canadian born on 9 July 1981 in Lachine, Quebec, Canada. His parents were of Punjabi descent, and moved to Saint-Laurent, Quebec from India in early 1981. The family later settled in the Fabreville area of Laval, Quebec in 1987. Kimveer attended Twin Oaks Elementary School in Laval from 1988 to 1993.
Gill later attended Rosemere High School, where he was remembered by teachers as quiet and unassuming. Despite early media reports, he performed well academically, and most students remember him as having friends and certainly never being bullied. Kimveer graduated from Rosemere High School in June 1998. He enrolled in Vanier College, however, he dropped out in January 1999.
Gill briefly received military training from the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, from January 17 to February 16, 1999. He had told his friends he wished to eventually become a mercenary. He did not complete his basic training for unknown reasons. He was deemed unsuitable for military service and was voluntarily discharged before receiving extensive weapons training. Gill was a member of a rifle club and visited the Ville Saint-Pierre facility the day prior to the shooting.
Gill's profile was discovered on a website called VampireFreaks under the screen name "fatality666." The last login was at 10:35 a.m. on the day of the shooting. The profile was subsequently restricted to registered users, and then removed entirely.
Gill was armed with a Beretta Cx4 Storm pistol-caliber carbine, a Glock pistol (reports are conflicting as to whether this was chambered in 9mm or .45 ACP), and a shotgun. There were reports of an additional firearm in a bag that he forced a hostage to bring along as he arrived near the campus site. According to TVA's crime reporter Claude Poirier, Gill briefly held a lawyer hostage and demanded that he bring the bag containing the fourth gun and additional ammunition. When the first shots were fired and police arrived, the lawyer fled the scene and hid Gill's bag.
Response
Students and faculty
Some student leaders criticized the immediate response of the Dawson College administration. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that "if it hadn't been for help from the Student Union at nearby Concordia University... many of the Dawson students would have had no one to turn to for help."
Dawson's director-general Richard Filion called the student charges harsh.
"We did our best to evacuate the building. We were in a state of shock. We were scattered everywhere around the city," Filion said, noting many staff members were out on lunch break.
Dawson does have an emergency plan, he said, but it was designed with fire safety in mind.