A Canada-based Nigerian, Babatunde Afuwape, has been charged with first-degree murder over the killing of a University of Toronto student, Shivank Avasthi, on the institution’s Scarborough campus.
Toronto Police said Afuwape, 28, allegedly shot the 20-year-old third-year student along the Highland Creek Trail near Old Kingston Road on December 23. Officers responded to reports of a disturbance around 3:30 p.m. and found Avasthi with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detective Sergeant Stacey McCabe said investigators believe the attack may have been random, noting that the suspect and victim were not known to each other. She added that Afuwape had been on the campus for about an hour before the shooting and was not believed to be a student.
Police also disclosed that Afuwape was arrested on December 28 for breaching parole linked to previous firearm offences and was due to appear in court earlier this week.
Tributes have continued to pour in for Avasthi, described by friends and university groups as a bright, caring and supportive student.
