TORONTO: A 21-year-old Indian student, Kartik Vasudev, was shot dead by an unidentified man at the entrance of a subway station here in Canada while he was on his way to work, police said. Kartik was shot on Thursday evening at the Glen Road entrance to Sherbourne TTC station in St James Town.
He received medical attention from an off-duty paramedic and was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, the Toronto Police Service said in a statement. The homicide squad of the Toronto Police Service has taken over the investigation.
Police said the suspect in the shooting is a Black male, standing five-foot-six to five-foot-seven inches tall, with a medium 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 the police. The roommate also informed Kartik’s father about his not having reached work nor was he picking up his phone.
The family of the Ghaziabad resident learnt about Kartik’s death around 11am on Friday. They realised that he was the victim of a shooting incident 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 go to Canada once the visa formalities are completed. The body is expected to reach India in the next 7-10 days. A relative of the student told The Free Press Journal that the family is assuming the incident happened during a robbery, as Toronto Police officers are not communicating with them about what exactly caused the shooting that led to Kartik’s death.
His father, Jitesh Vasudev said, “We have lost everything.”
“He was just trying to fulfil his dreams, it was his dream to come to Canada," he told the Toronto Star.
According to Jitesh, Kartik had spent the last three years studying hard to be accepted into the school in Toronto. He had been particularly drawn to the safety and opportunities in Canada, Jitesh said, adding he had made friends and had just got a part-time job at the Mexican restaurant just two weeks ago.
The last time he and his wife spoke to their son was on Thursday afternoon.
“He was a very polite, very sensitive, very loyal child. Everybody, family, friends, everybody 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 his job, for his daily routine,” he said.
The incident has shocked Kartik’s family as they believed Canada to be a safe country. “People say that Canada is one of the safest countries in the world for students and this incident has truly shocked us to the core. It is difficult to digest the fact that he is no more with us,” said a cousin of Kartik who lives in Delhi.
“Kartik was someone who never got into a fight. He was kind-hearted and a down-to-earth person. He didn’t deserve to die like this,” said a friend of his, who added that the latter moved to Canada for studies in January 2022.
Seneca College, where Karthik was a student, released a statement on Friday night about the incident. “The Seneca community is saddened to hear of the tragic death of Kartik Vasudev, a first-semester Marketing Management student. Our thoughts are with Mr. Vasudev’s family, friends and classmates. Counselling support is being 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 assured assistance to Karthik’s family, tweeting, “We are shocked & 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”. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also offered his condolences to the family. “Grieved by this tragic incident. Deepest condolences to the family,” Jaishankar tweeted.
