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When a pair of Dawson College students were hauled into a security guard's office for fooling around with hashish, they had no idea their detention would help cut short a killer's rampage.
Sean and Albert, who do not want to be identified by their real names, were the subject of the "unrelated matter" Montreal police have said brought a police car to the school just as Kimveer Gill cut down his first victims in the Sept. 13 shootings.
The quick intervention by police, who ran into the school after Gill - just as they arrived for the minor drug bust - is credited with limiting the carnage.
One student was killed and 20 other people were injured. Gill killed himself when cornered by police.
But none of that could be foreseen when a vigilant security guard was alerted to two suspicious-looking students lounging outside one of the school's main entrances.
"I was just playing with a little bit of hash, figuring out the best way to put it in my cigarette, with no intention necessarily of smoking it," Albert, a 19-year-old student at the college, told The Canadian Press.
He and Sean were promptly hauled into security guard Vince Pascale's office.
A brief interrogation revealed the two boys had enough marijuana on them for Pascale to immediately call the police.
"Usually he (Pascale) would have waited until after one o`clock because, you know, cops eat too," said Dawson spokeswoman Donna Varrica. "But something bugged him and he called."
At that point, it appeared to Sean and Albert that Lady Luck was not on their side. Both had had previous drug-related run-ins with authorities and now were facing possible expulsion - not to mention criminal charges.
They were waiting anxiously for police to arrive when, around 12:45 p.m., one security guard suddenly jumped from his seat and exclaimed: "I think there's somebody shooting in the school."
The reality of the situation had yet to set in and Sean and Albert admitted thinking their luck had changed.
"We figured we were free," said Sean, an 18-year-old commerce student.
Their next realization was more sobering.
"We saw a kid on the ground, shot, bleeding from his stomach and his shoulder," Albert added.
The two boys spent the next several weeks in a semi-stunned state, oscillating between coping with the tragedy itself and wondering about their own future at the school.
Albert and Sean were eventually hauled out of class one day to meet with a school administrator. They expected the worst, but following a stern lecture from the administrator, it was made clear disciplinary action would end with a warning.h
They have mixed feelings about their role in the tragedy.
"I didn't want to be glorified," Albert said. "It was just a coincidence. And we played a big part in that coincidence for our foolishness."
Dawson officials have been effusive in their praise for the two police officers, who immediately forgot about the drug bust when they witnessed Gill begin his rampage.
"It's that kind of action that saved it from being a total massacre," said Varrica.
Sean and Albert even lauded the actions of the unarmed security guard who caught them in the first place.
"He ended (up) being a really huge part in saving a lot of people," Sean said of Pascale. "This guy reacted as if he had a gun."
But some students who know Sean and Albert's story have offered them their own somewhat qualified appreciation.
"We're not necessarily proud of what we did but some people that did get shot sort of told us, like, thank you," Sean said.
The whole experience has been something of an epiphany for the boys, who admit it caused a re-examination of their values - and recreational habits.
"It just changed my thoughts on everything," said Albert. "That changed me because I realized anything could happen, the littlest thing could make the biggest difference."
Sean, for his part, interpreted the bizarre series of events as a sign that maybe drugs aren't the smartest investment of his time.
"I'm not saying I'm clean," he says sheepishly. "I'm not the greatest person alive, nut I pretty much stay out of it.
"That's not my life...I'm in school, I'm in Dawson, I didn't want to get kicked out. I want to get an education, I want to live my life and put this behind me."
Besides, his parents still don't know the real story of where he was on Sept. 13.
Newshawk: user - <A HREF="420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking">420 Magazine</A>
Source: The Gazette (Montreal)
Pubdate: 5 November 2006
Author: Jonathan Montpetit
Copyright: 2006 The Canadian Press
Contact: The Gazette
Website: Article Here
Sean and Albert, who do not want to be identified by their real names, were the subject of the "unrelated matter" Montreal police have said brought a police car to the school just as Kimveer Gill cut down his first victims in the Sept. 13 shootings.
The quick intervention by police, who ran into the school after Gill - just as they arrived for the minor drug bust - is credited with limiting the carnage.
One student was killed and 20 other people were injured. Gill killed himself when cornered by police.
But none of that could be foreseen when a vigilant security guard was alerted to two suspicious-looking students lounging outside one of the school's main entrances.
"I was just playing with a little bit of hash, figuring out the best way to put it in my cigarette, with no intention necessarily of smoking it," Albert, a 19-year-old student at the college, told The Canadian Press.
He and Sean were promptly hauled into security guard Vince Pascale's office.
A brief interrogation revealed the two boys had enough marijuana on them for Pascale to immediately call the police.
"Usually he (Pascale) would have waited until after one o`clock because, you know, cops eat too," said Dawson spokeswoman Donna Varrica. "But something bugged him and he called."
At that point, it appeared to Sean and Albert that Lady Luck was not on their side. Both had had previous drug-related run-ins with authorities and now were facing possible expulsion - not to mention criminal charges.
They were waiting anxiously for police to arrive when, around 12:45 p.m., one security guard suddenly jumped from his seat and exclaimed: "I think there's somebody shooting in the school."
The reality of the situation had yet to set in and Sean and Albert admitted thinking their luck had changed.
"We figured we were free," said Sean, an 18-year-old commerce student.
Their next realization was more sobering.
"We saw a kid on the ground, shot, bleeding from his stomach and his shoulder," Albert added.
The two boys spent the next several weeks in a semi-stunned state, oscillating between coping with the tragedy itself and wondering about their own future at the school.
Albert and Sean were eventually hauled out of class one day to meet with a school administrator. They expected the worst, but following a stern lecture from the administrator, it was made clear disciplinary action would end with a warning.h
They have mixed feelings about their role in the tragedy.
"I didn't want to be glorified," Albert said. "It was just a coincidence. And we played a big part in that coincidence for our foolishness."
Dawson officials have been effusive in their praise for the two police officers, who immediately forgot about the drug bust when they witnessed Gill begin his rampage.
"It's that kind of action that saved it from being a total massacre," said Varrica.
Sean and Albert even lauded the actions of the unarmed security guard who caught them in the first place.
"He ended (up) being a really huge part in saving a lot of people," Sean said of Pascale. "This guy reacted as if he had a gun."
But some students who know Sean and Albert's story have offered them their own somewhat qualified appreciation.
"We're not necessarily proud of what we did but some people that did get shot sort of told us, like, thank you," Sean said.
The whole experience has been something of an epiphany for the boys, who admit it caused a re-examination of their values - and recreational habits.
"It just changed my thoughts on everything," said Albert. "That changed me because I realized anything could happen, the littlest thing could make the biggest difference."
Sean, for his part, interpreted the bizarre series of events as a sign that maybe drugs aren't the smartest investment of his time.
"I'm not saying I'm clean," he says sheepishly. "I'm not the greatest person alive, nut I pretty much stay out of it.
"That's not my life...I'm in school, I'm in Dawson, I didn't want to get kicked out. I want to get an education, I want to live my life and put this behind me."
Besides, his parents still don't know the real story of where he was on Sept. 13.
Newshawk: user - <A HREF="420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking">420 Magazine</A>
Source: The Gazette (Montreal)
Pubdate: 5 November 2006
Author: Jonathan Montpetit
Copyright: 2006 The Canadian Press
Contact: The Gazette
Website: Article Here
