‘Son’s bag and shoes identified in local news,’ family of Indian student shot dead in Canada

TORONTO: A 21-year-old Indian student, Kartik Vasudev, was shot dead by an unidentified man at the entrance to a metro station here in Canada as he was on his way to work, police said. Kartik was shot dead at the Glen Road entrance to Sherbourne TTC station in St James Town on Thursday evening.

He received medical attention from an off-duty paramedic and was taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, the Toronto Police Service said in a statement. The Toronto Police Service Homicide Squad has taken over the investigation.

Police say the suspect in the shooting is a black male, five foot six to five foot seven inches tall, with an average build. He was last seen carrying a handgun walking south on Glen Road toward Howard Street, according to the news channel.

Investigators would like to speak to any witnesses in the area at the time, as well as any drivers or businesses with camera footage, police said.

Kartik, who worked part-time at a Mexican restaurant in Toronto, was reported missing by his roommate to police. The roommate also informed Kartik’s father that he had not arrived at work and was not picking up his phone.

The Ghaziabad resident’s family learned of Kartik’s death around 11am on Friday. They realized he had been the victim of a shooting after identifying his bag and shoes which were visible on a local news network’s report of the incident. The network did not name the 21-year-old in its initial report.

Kartik is survived by his father, mother and a 16-year-old brother. His parents are expected to travel to Canada once the visa formalities are completed. The body is expected to reach India within the next 7-10 days. A relative of the student told the Free Press Journal that the family assumes the incident happened during a robbery because Toronto police are not contacting them about the exact cause of the shooting that led upon the death of Kartik.

His father, Jitesh Vasudev said: “We lost everything.

“He was just trying to fulfill his dreams, it was his dream to come to Canada,” he told the Toronto Star.

According to Jitesh, Kartik had spent the past three years studying hard to be accepted into the Toronto school. He had been particularly drawn to the security and opportunities in Canada, Jitesh said, adding that he had made friends and had just gotten a part-time job at the Mexican restaurant just two years ago. weeks.

The last time he and his wife spoke to their son was Thursday afternoon.

“He was a very polite, very sensitive, very loyal kid. Everyone, family, friends, everyone loves him very much,” he said. “I don’t know what happened , but I’m trying to find out with the local police, please tell me what happened to my son.”

“He was just going to work, for his daily routine,” he said.

The incident shocked Kartik’s family as they believed Canada was a safe country. “People say Canada is one of the safest countries in the world for students and this incident shocked us deeply. It’s hard to take the fact that he is no longer with us,” said a cousin of Kartik who lives in Delhi.

“Kartik was someone who never fought. He was generous and a down-to-earth person. He didn’t deserve to die like that,” said one of his friends, who added that the latter had moved to Canada for studies in January 2022.

Seneca College, where Karthik was a student, released a statement Friday evening about the incident. “The Seneca community is saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Kartik Vasudev, a first semester marketing management student. Our thoughts are with Mr. Vasudev’s family, friends and classmates. Psychological support is made available to students and employees,” the public college’s official handle tweeted.

The Consulate General of India in Toronto also offered its condolences and pledged assistance to Karthik’s family, tweeting: “We are shocked and heartbroken by the unfortunate murder of Indian student Kartik Vasudev in a shooting in Toronto yesterday. We are in contact with the family and will provide all possible assistance for a rapid repatriation of the mortal remains”. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also offered his condolences to the family. “Saddened by this tragic incident. Heartfelt condolences to the family,” Jaishankar tweeted.

Posted: Saturday, April 9, 2022, 11:24 p.m. IST