Indian student shot dead near University of Toronto campus, sparking safety fears

A 20-year-old Indian student, Shivank Avasthi, was shot dead recently on a wooded trail near the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), in an incident police have recorded as Toronto’s 41st homicide of the year, deepening anxiety within the city’s Indian community and renewing concerns over the safety of international students.

Toronto Police said they responded to a call reporting “unknown trouble” at around 3.34 pm in the Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road area. Officers found Avasthi with gunshot wounds and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspects fled before police arrived and, as of December 26, no arrests had been made.

Avasthi was a student at UTSC, reportedly in his third year of life sciences, and an active member of the university’s cheerleading team. Paying tribute on Instagram, the UTSC cheer team remembered him as a “supportive teammate who brought smiles to everyone’s faces,” adding that he would “always be part of our UTSC Cheer family.”

The shooting took place near one of the university’s popular trail systems along the Highland Creek valley, prompting authorities to briefly place the campus under lockdown. UTSC issued a shelter-in-place advisory while police secured and searched the area.

In the aftermath, several students voiced fear and frustration on social media, pointing to long-standing safety issues around the off-campus trail network, which many say is poorly lit and inadequately patrolled.

The Consulate General of India in Toronto on December 25 expressed “deep anguish” over Avasthi’s death and said it was in close touch with local authorities to assist his family. While the Consulate described him as a “young Indian doctoral student,” other sources identified him as an undergraduate. Police have referred to him as a 20-year-old Toronto resident.

Investigators have not disclosed a motive and said the shooting appears to be an “isolated incident,” adding that there is no ongoing threat to public safety.