Posted on 08/15/2005 9:05:56 PM PDT by plushaye
The man convicted in a school killing in Alberta has walked away from an open custody facility in Toronto, prompting a police manhunt. Police said Todd Cameron Smith left the custody facility without escort or permission.
In April 1999, the then-14-year-old Smith sawed off his stepfather's rifle and gunned down 17-year-old Jason Lang at W.R. Myers High School in the southern Alberta community of Taber. He had intended to kill everyone at the school.
The killing sent shockwaves across Canada, coming one week after two youths shot and killed 13 people at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.
Smith was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to three years secure custody.
Smith was a youth at the time and could not be identified, but police have received judicial authorization to name him during the current search or until Saturday. Police say Smith is considered to be dangerous. They say members of the public should not approach Smith if they see him.
In March, Smith was transferred to the custody facility, even though at the time, Justice Rhys Morgan agreed the man was not ready for freedom and the Crown argued he still posed a significant risk to the public. Morgan said the youth needed a very slow and supervised transition back into society via open custody. The decision followed a joint statement from both Crown and defence based on psychiatric and probation reports that said Smith should be allowed to move to an open-custody facility, but under close supervision and intensive treatment.
Taber police said late Monday night they had notified victims of the 1999 shooting of Smith's disappearance, as well as officials at the high school. Authorities in Taber also said they did not believe Smith was headed to Alberta, noting most of his family has left the area and moved east.
The statement was little comfort for Jason Lang's father. Rev. Dale Lang said he was scared after learning his son's killer was unaccounted for.
Rev Dale Lang and his family have been an incredible Christian witness since Jason was murdered. My prayer is for their safety and for the swift apprehension of this sick and unrepentant murderer.
"What were the authorities thinking??"
This is Canada - they're run by communist morons. Well, come to think of it, we've got plenty of leadership on the same wavelength. It's getting too weird to read the news, science fiction is more calming and familiar.
Depends. Maybe he'll flee to somewhere way North and leave society behind. OTOH, having done his thing in high
school, maybe he'll pull a Marc Lepine.
This is the first time that his name and appearance is known to the public, because he was a minor when he committed the crime. The legal system is so careful about protecting his rights. There are no rights for the victims and their families that people like these be kept away from society?
From what I've read about him, this guy has had major psychological problems. That's why the police so concerned. They can't say that he won't become violent - again.
This article must be fake. Michael Moore said that Canada doesn't have any problems with guns like the USA. Canadians because of their peaceful nature can co-exist with guns, unlike the evil Americans.
Was there a grudge with the Langs.
was Todd a ritalin user?
Read this sentence over and over. It makes less and less sense each time you read it. Just another way in which liberalism helps kill innocent life while protecting guilty criminals. Sick.
Don't worry, Canada's gun registry will protect everyone! /sarcasm
No, but he killed their son. This guy's thinking is sick so no-one knows what he's really going to do. That's why the family has been warned, and so has the principal of the high school.
Actually Jason Lang was an innocent bystander in the high school shooting. The quintessial wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time. Rev Lang wrote a book called "Jason's Been Shot!", which is very hard to read unemotionally. He became known nationwide for his Christian forgiveness of the killer and his reaching out to the family.
Postscript: I'm relieved to read in another FR posting that the killer was picked up by police on the streets of Toronto! Thank God for that...
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