Crisis team to be on hand at Scarborough high school after student fatally shot: board

Crisis workers will be on hand on Tuesday to meet with students and staff at Scarborough's École secondaire catholique Père-Philippe-Lamarche after one of its students was fatally shot, the board says.

Nicole Mollot, director of education for Conseil Scolaire Catholique Mon Avenir, shared the news of the death of a student in a letter sent home to the school community late Monday afternoon.

“It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of a PPL student last night under tragic circumstances. This death affects the entire school community,” she wrote.

CTV News Toronto has learned that the victim, identified on Monday afternoon by Toronto police as 16-year-old Jamal Abdinasir, was in Grade 9 at the high school near Eglinton Avenue East and McCowan Road.

Flags at the school have been lowered to half-mast.

Mollot, in her letter, noted that that a crisis management team from Mon Avenir would be at PPL on Tuesday to meet with students and staff.

“Individual and group meetings will take place and, as needed, will continue over the next few days to provide any assistance required in these difficult circumstances,” she said.

Parents and guardians were also advised that their child may be affected by what has happened and may experience “a great deal of sadness and feelings of helplessness.”

“That's why we thought it was important to inform you so that you can give your child all the attention he needs: take the time to listen to him and reassure him, so that life can get back to normal,” Mollot said, adding that the school leadership is available to direct anyone who is concerned about their child’s behaviour or reaction to the student’s death to “appropriate services."

The letter also indicated that funeral details for the teen would be shared at a later date, “if the family so wishes.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” Mollot said.

On Monday, shortly after 1 a.m., Toronto police said that they responded to reports of a shooting at a home in Scarborough's Warden Woods area, near Cataraqui Crescent and Warden Avenue.

According to police, a male was shot inside the residence and an unidentified suspect fled the scene.

Paramedics rushed the victim to hospital, where he was pronounced dead, they said.

There is no suspect information so far.

The homicide unit is handling the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Toronto police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

With files from CP24's Joshua Freeman.