Solved case · 1975
The short answer
On May 28, 1975, a 16-year-old student shot and killed a teacher and a fellow student, and wounded 13 others, at Brampton Centennial Secondary School in Ontario, Canada, before killing himself.
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Suggest coverage for this caseOn May 28, 1975, a school shooting occurred at Brampton Centennial Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The perpetrator, 16-year-old student Michael Slobodian, shot and killed two people and injured 13 others before killing himself.
According to the account, Slobodian had been skipping classes, which prompted his teacher, Margaret Wright, to contact his parents. When he returned home during a mid-morning break, his mother confronted him about the absences. He then wrote a note to his family stating his intention to "eliminate certain people from this world," naming Wright and another staff member, and stating he would then kill himself "so as not to be imprisoned."
Slobodian returned to the school carrying two rifles concealed in a guitar case, along with 70 rounds of ammunition (50 .22-calibre rounds and 20 .444-calibre rounds). He entered a ground-floor washroom to prepare his weapons in a toilet cubicle with the door open. Two students, including John Slinger, walked in and saw the guns; Slobodian told them to leave, then opened fire with a .22-calibre Ruger semi-automatic rifle, killing Slinger and wounding two other students. He then fired additional shots into hallways and classrooms, switching between the Ruger and a .444-calibre Marlin rifle, wounding multiple students in different locations of the school, including four students injured by shrapnel and one grazed by a bullet.
Slobodian proceeded to an art classroom, where he shot and killed teacher Margaret Wright and wounded two more students. Witnesses reported that Wright recognized him, saying "Mike," before he raised the Marlin rifle; she was shot in the back while attempting to flee, with the bullet exiting her chest and striking another student. Slobodian then returned to the hallway and fatally shot himself.
In total, Slobodian killed two people—student John Slinger and teacher Margaret Wright—and wounded 13 others, in addition to his own death by suicide. Investigators determined he fired eight shots from the .22-calibre Ruger rifle and seven shots, including the fatal shot to himself, from the .444-calibre Marlin rifle.
Witnesses to the shooting included students Cathy and Nancy Davis, daughters of then-Ontario Premier William Davis, and Scott Thompson, later known for his work with the comedy group Kids in the Hall, who was in the same English class taught by Wright. Wright was 24 years old and six months pregnant at the time of her death.
Michael Slobodian, a 16-year-old student, shot and killed teacher Margaret Wright and student John Slinger, and wounded 13 others, at Brampton Centennial Secondary School before killing himself.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Student fatally shot in a washroom encounter with the perpetrator.[3]
Teacher at the school, fatally shot in an art classroom; was six months pregnant at the time.[3]
Perpetrator; committed the shooting and died by suicide at the scene. No criminal proceedings occurred due to his death.[3]
From the record
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