BY PAUL JUNOR
The tragic shooting of Grade 12 student Jaheim Robinson on Monday, February 14th at Scarborough’s David and Mary Thomson Collegiate Institute is deeply troubling.
It was around 3:00 pm there were reports of a shooting. Constable Ed Paskas reported that the eighteen-year-old student was shot and killed. The shooting was being investigated as a homicide case. It was reported that there was confirmation that the student indeed attended the school. One student states, “My main thought [at the time] was I can’t believe this is happening. It was pretty scary. I didn’t want anybody to get hurt.”
The fatal shooting of Jaheim Robinson marks the second time that a student in a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has been killed inside a high school. It was fifteen years ago on May 23rd, 2007, that Jordan Manners; a Grade 10 student at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute in North York was killed.
The shooting death of this fourteen-year-old student provoked an investigation by lawyer Julian Falconer who heads the School Community Safety Advisory Panel, which examines school safety issues. As a result of his investigation, he concluded, “There are firearms and weapons in non-trivial numbers in select TDSB schools across the city.” The report notes that there was the need for, “Strategic directions at detention, deterrence, and removal of weapons must be considered.” There was the subsequent report by Roy MacMurchy and Alvin Curling titled “Roots of Youth Violence” which examined causes and recommended solutions.
In response to the fatal shooting of Jaheim, Toronto’s Mayor, John Tory released a statement that reads, “Any act of violence which takes place in school is both tragic and unacceptable. My thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim and students and staff at David and Mary Thomson C. I. As we await more details I want to express my profound sadness that the lives of youth in our city are being taken out at the hands of gun violence.”
Reports state that a fourteen-year-old boy was charged with first-degree murder. Homicide Inspector Hask Idsingha reported that the video he saw of the shooting showed that Jaheim was executed after the shooter accosted him and shot him at, “point-blank range.” TDSB spokesperson Shari Schwartz told Global News, “It just happened. You need a lot of time to get your head around it. There were people that are inside today that were there when it happened and so there’s just a huge support team so that they can talk and express.”
In a letter that was sent to parents on Wednesday, February 16th, 2022, Aatif Choudhry, the principal of David and Mary Thomson C. I. wrote, “Jaheim always had a bright smile on his face, and his kindness and positive attitude was an inspiration to his teachers and classmates. If you were lucky enough to interact with Jaheim at school, you knew your day was going to be all the better because his happiness and positivity were contagious.”
At a press conference, Toronto Deputy Police Chief, Myron Demkw stated that 33% of the homicides cases in Toronto this year involved victims or accused that were under the age of twenty. He states, “Two have involved persons under the age of fifteen. This fact is disturbing and demands that something must change.”
A Gofundme (https://www.gofundme.com/f/ffta6u-lay-jahiem-robinson-victim-of-david-mary-thompson?qid=1b853c1d1acfa1cd9622ed42042a3b80) was started by Chenelle Johnson to raise funds for Jaheim’s funeral and beneficiary.
It states, “I am the aunt of Jaheim, we are asking for support to lay my nephew to rest. He was a really loving young man, who cared deeply about his family and will truly be missed…. words cannot express the pain our family is going through but we appreciate any support provided.”
