Fatal school shooting triggers security review

Students and parents entering C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute are greeted by a grief counsellor and police officer on Thursday, May 24, 2007.

A fatal shooting at a Toronto high school Wednesday has triggered a security review of schools in the city.

C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute in Toronto's north end reopened its doors Thursday for counsellors to meet with grief-stricken students and faculty, though classes have been cancelled.

Police have yet to make an arrest in the shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Manners, a ninth grade student described as popular and trustworthy by people who knew him.

He was found at about 2:30 p.m. in a school hallway, and later died at Sunnybrook Hospital from a gunshot wound to the chest

On Thursday, speaking outside the school, board trustee Stephnie Payne said the board will look at tightening security at all schools in the Toronto District School Board.

She said C.W. Jefferys is scheduled to have security cameras installed but she doesn't believe they would have prevented the Wednesday afternoon shooting.

"It's something that is in the works to happen," she told reporters. However, she added: "Cameras will not deter this sort of incident, they will happen anyway."

Payne said C.W. Jefferys is one of the safest schools in Toronto and parents realize it is a "very safe, compassionate school."

Liberal MPP for the riding of Don Valley West, and Minister of Education, Kathleen Wynne, said every effort will be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.

"I think whenever something like this happens we have to look at procedures and make sure we did everything we could do and look forward to what more can be done," she told CTV Toronto on Thursday.

There is little doubt that security cameras would have helped police in their investigation of the incident. Officers continued their probe Thursday, scouring backyards and park areas near the school in their search for clues.

No arrests have been made and police have released little information about the case, including the possible motive for the shooting.

CTV Toronto's Jim Junkin reported Thursday that police had dismissed rumours that Manners had been involved in a dispute over fireworks prior to the shooting.

Four-hour lockdown

The school was locked down for about four hours Wednesday while police went classroom to classroom, searching for the shooter and the weapon.

Buses took students to another location before being released to their families who had gathered in an anxious group, awaiting news about their children.

CTV's Scott Laurie was at the school Thursday morning as students began arriving.

"Classes will not be held, but for students who are expected to show up there are extra grief counsellors, extra staff that have been posted at the school," Laurie told Canada AM.

"Any student who is in need of any help -- you have to also remember that there were teachers and administrators also holed up during the lockdown at this school -- they're going to be spoken to as well because this is, for the 848 people who go to the school, an extremely traumatic experience."

The shooting has prompted calls from Mayor David Miller for a ban on hand guns. He said the weapons "have one purpose and that is to kill," and laws need to be tightened to ensure handguns are taken off the streets.

Opposition Leader John Tory called the violence "disgusting" and said once-rare school lockdowns are becoming all too common, while Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said he condemns the violence.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair called for witnesses to come forward and help with the investigation.

"The event that took place today is a very serious matter," Blair said on Wednesday. "A young student lost his life in this school, and it should be a safe environment for everyone."

There are reports that there was a confrontation at a nearby strip mall prior to the shooting. The fight then carried into the hallways of the school, where Manners was shot.

He was hit once in the chest on the second floor of the school.

Police received a call about a possible drowning, but arrived at the school to find the teenage boy in a corridor suffering from a gunshot wound.

The Grade 9 student was taken to Sunnybrook Hospital with serious injuries, but doctors were unable to save him.

Friends and neighbours of Manners described him as a "sweet little boy" who turned 15 last Friday.

"I just feel sorry for the kid and his family," a neighbourhood friend who had known Manners since he was in kindergarten told the Canadian Press. "He just didn't deserve that."

The school has about 850 students.

A candlelight vigil is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Thursday, at the high school.

With reports from CTV Toronto's Jim Junkin and Chris Eby