W. R. Myers High School shooting
W.R. Myers High School shooting | |
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Location | Bullying |
The W. R. Myers High School shooting was a school shooting that occurred on April 28, 1999, at W. R. Myers High School in Taber, Alberta, Canada. The gunman, 14-year-old school dropout Todd Cameron Smith, walked into his school and began firing at students in a hallway, then went to the central hub of the school in front of the band room, killed one student and wounded another. It was the first fatal high-school shooting in Canada since the St. Pius X High School shooting, 24 years earlier.
Shooting
The incident began when Smith entered the school campus armed with a
Aftermath
Legal proceedings
Smith's identity and background were originally protected under Canada's
Crown prosecutors attempted to have then 15-year-old Smith tried as an adult with the potential for a
Following his arrest and before the trial, a medical examination discovered Smith had a heart ailment that required
Smith's release, second arrest
In March 2005, Todd Cameron Smith was released into a halfway house in Toronto, despite the agreement of the judge that the then 20-year-old remained a threat to society.[2] In August of that year, he walked out of the halfway house, leaving behind a note reading, "I can't be caged any more. If they find me, they'll have to kill me. I will never be caged again. Bye. Sorry."[7] His escape prompted Toronto police to obtain a court injunction allowing them to publicize his identity until such time as he was caught.[2]
However, Smith turned himself in to authorities the following day and was arrested without incident. The waiver allowing the publication of his identity in Canada lapsed upon his recapture, though not before his name was published and released by several news outlets across the country. Following his recapture, Canadian media were required to no longer use Smith's name or photograph, as they had done the previous day.
See also
- Killer Kids, season one episode "School Killers", which included a segment about this school shooting.
References
- ^ Graveland, Bill (April 28, 2019). "'Total blackness,' Remembering Taber school shooting 20 years later". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Taber killer escapes in Toronto". The Globe and Mail. August 15, 2005. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ CBC News Online. April 27, 2004. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ CBC News Online. November 18, 2000. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- CBC News Online. January 5, 2000. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- CBC News Online. November 11, 2000. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ Shaw, Rob; Harding, Katherine (August 16, 2005). "Taber school killer flees halfway house". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 8, 2023.