University faces lawsuit over shooting
TORONTO — Citing a lack of on- campus safety, eight York University students have launched a $ 20.5- million lawsuit against their school following last month’s shooting.
Two students were injured in the shooting in the university’s student centre on the Keele campus the night of March 6.
Nineteen- year- old Annie Malik was shot in the leg and her friend Namra Malik, 20, ( no relation) was injured by the shrapnel from the bullet. Police say they were not targeted.
Alleged shooter Kemon Edwards, 22, was arrested March 16 and charged with gun, assault, drug and failure to comply offences.
Sandra Zisckind of Diamond and Diamond, the law firm representing the students, said York’s security measures don’t go far enough.
“We’re alleging a pattern of negligence,” Zisckind said at a news conference Thursday morning. “We’re alleging that security has been overlooked and our allegation is that steps could have been taken and measures could have been taken and they were not.”
Even after police and fire services arrived at the scene, Annie Malik told reporters there was no sign of York security personnel.
She said she felt “betrayed and let down” by the university.
“I now realize how serious the security issue is at York University,” she said. “I think it’s about time that York takes some steps to solve this issue before something even worse happens.”
The 55,000- student university has 76 security officers. It plans to add two more in each
I think it’s about time that York takes some steps to solve this issue before something even worse happens.
ANNIE MALIK
YORK UNIVERSITY SHOOTING VICTIM
of the next two to three years.
Annie and Namra are suing for $ 18 million and $ 1 million respectively for physical and emotional pain and suffering.
The other six students, who were bystanders to the shooting, are each suing for $ 250,000 for emotional pain and suffering.
Neither Annie nor Namra Malik has gone back to school since the shooting. Namra, a second- year human resources student, tried to go to classes once, but found it too stressful and difficult, Zisckind said. The bullet from the shooting is still lodged in Annie’s leg. She recently started physiotherapy and is learning to walk again.
Annie said the incident has put her life “on hold” as she can’t perform day- to- day activities like getting a glass of water without help.
A York spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said in a statement that “we empathize greatly with the survivors who are suffering as a result of this terrible and random criminal activity on our campus.”
The school has a multiyear safety and security plan with “ongoing enhancements planned,” the statement said.
Zisckind questioned how an armed member of the public got into the student centre.
Other Ontario universities, including Ryerson and Carleton, require students and staff to swipe their identification cards to gain access to certain buildings after hours. York said it is adding more card readers to campus buildings.