A family member has identified the man killed in a shooting outside of a subway station in Toronto on Thursday as a 21-year-old student from India.
Gaurav Vasdev told Global News his cousin, Kartik Vasudev, was shot and killed at the Sherbourne subway station in Toronto on Thursday.
According to Vasdev, his cousin was a first-year marketing student studying at Seneca College.
“We always thought that Canada was such a safe country, that nothing could happen to Kartik there” Vasdev said. “It’s just unbelievable what has happened and you know, like I said, we don’t even know what to do right now. ”
Vasdev said Vasudev’s father is now working to secure an emergency visa to travel to Canada to find answers regarding what happened to his son, and to transport his body back to India.
Global News reached Vasudev’s father, Jitesh Vasudev, in the National Capital Region of India.
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“How can we be fine?,” he said. “This terrible thing has happened to us.”
He said the family spoke to Vasudev “just one or two hours before the shooting happened.”
“It was at 3 p.m. Toronto time and he had mentioned he was going to the job,” he said. “He was very normal and very happy about that.”
In a statement emailed to Global News, Seneca College said the school community is “saddened to hear of the tragic death” of Vasudev.
“Our thoughts are with Mr. Vasudev’s family, friends and classmates,” the statement reads. “Counselling support is being made available to students and employees.”
In a tweet, the Consulate General of India in Toronto said it was “shocked and distressed at the unfortunate killing of Indian student Kartik Vasudev in a shooting incident in Toronto yesterday.”
“We are in touch with the family and will provide all possible assistance in early repatriation of mortal remains,” the tweet reads.
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According to police, the shooting happened just after 5 p.m. on Thursday, outside of the subway station.
Speaking at a press conference Thursday, Toronto police Insp. Richard Harris said before officers arrived on scene, an off-duty paramedic who happened to be in the area delivered first aid to the victim.
Harris said Vasudev suffered “several gunshot wounds,” and was transported to hospital in critical condition where he was later pronounced deceased.
Harris said officers are searching for a suspect described as a man standing five-feet-six-inches or five-feet-seven-inches in height, with a medium build.
He was last seen running away from the scene heading southbound on Glen Road.
Harris said he was seen carrying a handgun.
Harris said officers were conducting an “extensive” canvas of the area on Thursday, and would be reviewing Toronto Transit Commission surveillance footage.
The Toronto police homicide unit is investigating.
In a press release Friday, the force urged anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or who may have dashcam or other camera footage to contact officers or Crime Stoppers.
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