TORONTO Police announced on Wednesday that they have made an arrest in the death of a University of Toronto student who was gunned down near the Scarborough campus on December 23.
Shivank Avasthi, 20, was pronounced deceased at the scene on the Highland Creek Trail after officers responded to reports of a person with serious injuries.
Police said 28-year-old Babatunde Afuwape was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
“This was a deeply tragic case,” said Detective Sergeant Stacey McCabe. “Shivank was a third year U of T student from India. He was young, bright and had his whole life ahead of him. Our thoughts remain with his family, friends, classmates and everyone affected by his loss.”
She said members of the Homicide and Missing Persons Unit have worked tirelessly to identify and locate the person responsible for the senseless act of violence.
“Based on our investigation, we do not believe the accused and the victim were known to each other,” McCabe noted. “It is our belief that this was a planned and deliberate act by the accused, and we have not yet found a motive for why Shivank was targeted.
“We recognize that this incident caused a great deal of fear and concern to students, staff and members of the surrounding community, particularly those who regularly use the trail. We want to reassure the community that the person responsible for this is in our custody.”
McCabe is asking anyone who was on the trail on the day of the homicide and may have interacted with the accused to contact police at 416-808-7400.
“We believe that there may have been more people on the trail or on campus who may have had an interaction with the accused,” McCabe said.
MEANWHILE, Melanie Woodin, President, University of Toronto, said in a statement that was emailed to The VOICE:
“This morning the University of Toronto learned of an arrest in the death of Shivank Avasthi, 20, a third-year international student at our Scarborough campus.
“We are thankful to the Toronto Police Service and Campus Safety for their dedicated efforts in making an arrest in this senseless act of violence. The individual arrested is not a student at the University of Toronto.
“We have expressed our deepest condolences and continue to offer our support to Shivank’s family. As members of our community grieve, a book of condolence will be available for our community to express sorrow and share memories of Shivank, and other commemorations will be communicated in the near future.
“I am personally heartbroken and recognize that many in our community are feeling a range of emotions. We are reminding all those in our community of the mental health supports available to them 24/7 in several languages. University of Toronto is an inclusive institution with a strong focus on supporting students.
“We have many safety services, including 24/7 Campus Safety presence on our campuses. Other services include the Campus Safety mobile app, Travel Safer (a walk-safe escort service for the Scarborough, St. George and Mississauga campuses), the Scarborough campus Lone Worker program and the St. George and Mississauga campuses Work Alone program, mobile Bluelight and the UTAlert app.
“We are continuing with increased patrols in the area and working to identify any additional measures that may be needed to ensure the safety of our campus communities.”
