Toronto student, 16, stabbed to death

by Barry ORegan | September 12, 2007 at 03:57 am

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In a little over six months, it seems Toronto schools are the epi centre for violent crimes against children, in what some say is due in part to a revolving door Justice system, where penalties against violent offenders and gang violence does not go far enough. Two Suspects are still at large, it is not known if this was a gang related murder. Though I have it on good authourity it was.

Update: The victim was identified as Dineshkumar Murugiah was not involved in gangs, had turned away
from crime and was focusing on his grades, say those who knew him.

But something in the North York teen's past may have come back to claim his life.

Murugiah was knifed to death while walking with friends outside Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute at noon Tuesday.

A 16-year-old student has died after being stabbed on a walkway near his high school in Toronto's east end.

The student was taken to Sunnybrook Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The student was taken to Sunnybrook Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Police have confirmed the boy was a student at Winston Churchill Collegiate, which is located close to where the incident occurred. The school is located in the Lawrence Avenue and Kennedy Road area and was not locked down.

The victim was stabbed several times in the stomach and showed no vital signs when emergency personnel responded to the call at about 12:05 p.m.

Police confirm the student was taken to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre where he succumbed to his injuries.

A motive has not been identified.

Coun. Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre) told CTV News the victim was recently transferred from Marc Garneau Collegiate, located on Overlea Boulevard, because of disciplinary problems.

In late August, a report by the School Safety Community Advisory Panel found that one of the key issues at another high school -- Toronto's troubled C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute -- was that students were being transferred to other schools without proper counselling after being expelled.

That report was ordered after the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Jordan Manners in a hallway of the school, in May.

Police are now canvassing the area of Tuesday's attack and questioning students and faculty at the school.

Det. Sgt. Gary Grinton said the culprits jumped out of a light-blue '92 or '94 Honda Civic, attacked the boy, and then fled in the same vehicle.

No arrests have been made and the identity of the victim has not been released.

Police are looking for a suspect described as:

* male, 5-foot-5

17-18 years of age

wearing black jeans, a black zip-up hoodie, and a bandana covering his face

Premier Dalton McGuinty expressed his condolences to the victim's family, while on a campaign stop at Markham, Ont.

"As premier and maybe even more importantly, just as a Dad, I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of this young man who lost his life today in a senseless tragedy," he said.

He also called for an exhaustive investigation into the fatal stabbing.

"I think that we should always look for ways to continually improve the safety of our schools, the safety of our streets," he said.

Meanwhile, Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory said strong action must be taken to stop Toronto's youth violence.

"We simply can't let this kind of thing go on," he said. "We have to deal with this crime and the causes of this crime. I've been to too many funerals for these young people. We can't let them keep dying in our streets and in our community. It's just unacceptable."

John Muise, CTV police analyst and director of public safety at the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness, said violent crime involving weapons has been on the rise among young people in Canada.

He said the legal consequences for a young person convicted of a violent offence don't do enough to discourage violence. He called it a "revolving door" justice system.

Muise also said it's much too easy for young people to obtain a weapon.

"It wasn't a gun today, but I could send a kid into a housing project, the right kid with the right moxie, and he could bring one back within an hour's time. I think that's how easy it is for some of these kids."

With a report from CTV's Jim Junkin

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PEP

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 04:51 on September 12th, 2007

Barry Artiste, good stuff, and I especially like how your opening commentary put this into context. Here in the U.S., too, we have problems with gangs and school violence. Many schools now have metal detectors and police or security on duty. Awful!

The problem is that in the U.S., so many crimes are treated as lesser offenses for "juveniles." And we have a revolving door, too.

Also, if early on, with dangerous behavior, the schools actually try to do anything, there are all sorts of things that stop handling of the problems. If you put the student on suspension or expel them, you're only doing what they want and turning them loose in the streets to run wild. Many times, if arrests are made, sure enough, someone will turn up to raise heck over the process or the darling child being caught. And so it goes.

Barry ORegan

at 05:24 on September 12th, 2007

Thanks Pep, we too have schools with metal detectors, hence the violence is taken outside the school where metal detectors are useless, some have started to hire security guards instead of enforcing strict laws already on our books. Gang culture featured in movies and music videos are the aspirations of many children, both rich and poor. Kangaroo court laws and ineffective Politicians and Judges have to go. I see no end in sight. I am a strong advocate of publicly elected Judges versus politically appointed Judges. Come election time in this Province, I will work tirelessly for however sees things my way. Time to fit the crime.