Kimveer Gill
Encyclopedia
Kimveer Singh Gill was the Canadian perpetrator of the Dawson College shooting
at Dawson College
in Westmount, Quebec
, Canada
on September 13, 2006. He killed one student and wounded nineteen others before he committed suicide.
, Canada
. His parents were of Punjabi
descent, and moved to Saint-Laurent, Quebec
from India in early 1981. The family later settled in the Fabreville area of Laval, Quebec in 1987. Kimveer attended Twin Oaks Elementary School in Laval from 1988 to 1993.
Kimveer later attended Rosemere High School
, where he was remembered by teachers as quiet and unassuming. Despite early media reports, he performed well academically, and most students remember him as having friends and certainly never being bullied. Kimveer graduated from Rosemere High School in June 1998. He enrolled in Vanier College
with his friend Steven Kulczycki after graduation; however he dropped out in January 1999.
Gill briefly received military training from the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School
in Saint-Jean, Quebec, from January 17 to February 16, 1999. He had told his friends he wished to eventually become a mercenary
. He did not complete his basic training for unknown reasons. He was deemed unsuitable for military service and was voluntarily discharged before receiving extensive weapons training.
Gill was a member of a rifle club and visited the Ville Saint-Pierre facility the day prior to the shooting.
Gill's funeral was held on September 19, 2006 in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec. There was strict security outside, and only invited guests were allowed to attend the ceremony. The ceremony was held the same day as the funeral for the Anastasia De Sousa, the only other fatality of the shooting.
Kimveer Gill described himself in his profile on Vampirefreaks
.com, which is no longer accessible:
He also wrote,
In extensive interviews with friends, family, teachers, and former colleagues, Kimveer Gill was described as a quiet, nice, sensitive, generous person. In detailed interviews with Gill's friends from the Punjabi community it was revealed that Gill was not accepted in the community because of his perceived homosexuality and feminine demeanor. He was described as "the nicest, gentlest person" with "a heart of gold". His friends say that prior to the shooting, Kimveer Gill had a fascination with 9/11 conspiracy theories
, the war in Iraq, and the 1999 Columbine High School massacre
. He liked Jack Daniel's
whiskey and was a user of ecstasy. In the last few months of his life, he ceased contact with his friends and parents, and seemed more depressed than ever.
campus in Montreal, armed with a Beretta Cx4 Storm
carbine
. Before entering the cafeteria, he began shooting people outside the entrance and continued shooting once he had entered the school, killing 18-year-old Anastasia De Sousa and wounding nineteen other people and holding one student hostage before officer Denis Côté and other police officers shot him in the right arm. Gill then turned his gun on himself and committed suicide. Authorities concluded the attack was premeditated, after a short suicide note
was found strapped inside Gill's trenchcoat.
, the Université de Montréal
, and a secondary school in Laval
. Some plans and maps were found in Gill's car near the site of the Dawson College event.
In Kimveer's online journal there are several possible motives. Some point to the following entries as being particularly telling:
A handwritten diary found by police at Gill's home revealed the extent of Gill's anger. A police source said, "It was very obvious his state of mind was deteriorating greatly over the last three weeks.". In a statement made on Friday, October 20, 2006, the head of the major crime squad for Montreal police Richard Dupuis states: "We know he was angry against the world, so it was a kind of vengeance… There is no explanation why Dawson. It could be Dawson, it could be another place".
.com blog, under his handle "fatality666" contained more than 50 photos depicting the young man in various poses. In several images, Gill either points a Beretta Cx4 Storm
semi-automatic carbine
at the camera, or wears a long black trench coat or what he identifies as combat boots. Some of the photos showing Gill with weapons were taken by a friend, according to his mother.
Among his many posted grievances, he stated that he hated school and work.
Gill also referenced more than 50 movies, and 3 TV shows.
Super Columbine Massacre was not listed as one of Gill's favourite video games or mentioned anywhere in his blog or profile.
These are the all the video games Kimveer reported in the section of the profile titled "Favorite Games:" (in actual order):
and goth subculture
rather than a reference to the unrelated and lesser known gothic rock
music. The actual list of favourite bands and music on Gill profile has been described in the media as a "who's who of heavy metal
". Mick Mercer
stated, of Kimveer Gill, that he was "not a Goth. Never a Goth. The bands he listed as his chosen form of ear-bashing were relentlessly metal
and standard grunge
, rock
and goth metal, with some industrial
presence.", "Kimveer Gill listened to metal", "He had nothing whatsoever to do with Goth" and further commented "I realise that like many Neos, Kimveer Gill may even have believed he somehow was a Goth, because they're only really noted for spectacularly missing the point." Mercer emphasized that he was not blaming Heavy Metal music for Gill's actions and "It doesn’t matter actually what music he liked."
No specific involvement with any actual music scene has been established or documented.
Kimveer Gill's online profile lists his favourite bands as follow (in actual order):
In a separate section of Gill's profile, titled "Other Favorite Stuff:", the following is found:
The Megadeth
song "A Tout Le Monde
" was blamed by the media for the shootings. He had mentioned in his online blog that he had listened to it the day of the shootings. However, Megadeth's singer Dave Mustaine
said Gill had "turned a beautiful song into something ugly and nasty" and that Gill was "not worthy of being a Megadeth fan." Mustaine called the song "a gift to those who are in the process of healing" after the shootings, distancing his music from Gill's interpretation of it.
Coincidentally, the date of the shooting, 9/13, is also Dave Mustaine
's birthday.
Kimveer Gills dislikes, as stated in his vampirefreaks.com profile, are:
The blog was removed sometime prior to September 14, 2006. However, it was accessed heavily in the interval after the killings and its contents were widely reported.
General
Dawson College shooting
The Dawson College shooting occurred on September 13, 2006 at Dawson College, a CEGEP in Westmount near downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The perpetrator, Kimveer Gill, began shooting outside the de Maisonneuve Boulevard entrance to the school, and moved towards the atrium by the cafeteria on the...
at Dawson College
Dawson College
Dawson College was the first English CEGEP and is located in Westmount, just west of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Dawson College is located near the heart of downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on 4.85 hectares of green space...
in Westmount, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on September 13, 2006. He killed one student and wounded nineteen others before he committed suicide.
Background
Kimveer Gill was a 25-year-old Indo-Canadian born in Lachine, QuebecLachine, Quebec
Lachine was a city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now a borough within the city of Montreal.-History:...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. His parents were of Punjabi
Punjabi people
The Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...
descent, and moved to Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint-Laurent is a former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now the largest in area of the boroughs of the city of Montreal....
from India in early 1981. The family later settled in the Fabreville area of Laval, Quebec in 1987. Kimveer attended Twin Oaks Elementary School in Laval from 1988 to 1993.
Kimveer later attended Rosemere High School
Rosemere High School
Rosemere High School of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board is a high school located in the town of Rosemere, Quebec, Canada. It is housed in a two story structure with enrollment of almost 1,400 students.-Attendance zones:...
, where he was remembered by teachers as quiet and unassuming. Despite early media reports, he performed well academically, and most students remember him as having friends and certainly never being bullied. Kimveer graduated from Rosemere High School in June 1998. He enrolled in Vanier College
Vanier College
Vanier College is an English-language public college located in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1970 as the second English-language public college of Quebec's public college system...
with his friend Steven Kulczycki after graduation; however he dropped out in January 1999.
Gill briefly received military training from the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School
Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School
The Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School is located at the Général-Jean-Victor-Allard Building in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.CFLRS is a leadership training school for both primary reservist and regular forces....
in Saint-Jean, Quebec, from January 17 to February 16, 1999. He had told his friends he wished to eventually become a mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
. He did not complete his basic training for unknown reasons. He was deemed unsuitable for military service and was voluntarily discharged before receiving extensive weapons training.
Gill was a member of a rifle club and visited the Ville Saint-Pierre facility the day prior to the shooting.
Gill's funeral was held on September 19, 2006 in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec. There was strict security outside, and only invited guests were allowed to attend the ceremony. The ceremony was held the same day as the funeral for the Anastasia De Sousa, the only other fatality of the shooting.
Kimveer Gill described himself in his profile on Vampirefreaks
Vampirefreaks
VampireFreaks.com is an online community for the Gothic–industrial subcultures. It was created by site owner Jethro Berelson in 1999. It began with a small number of forums dedicated to Gothic–industrial music....
.com, which is no longer accessible:
"His name is Trench. You will come to know him as the Angel of Death. […] He is male. He is 25 years of age. He lives in Quebec. He finds that it is an O.K place to live. He is not a people person. He has met a handful of people in his life who are decent. But he finds the vast majority to be worthless, no good, conniving, betraying, lying, deceptive, motherfuckers. Work sucks… School sucks… Life sucks… What else can I say. Metal and Goth kick ass. Life is like a video game, you gotta die sometime."
He also wrote,
"I hate this world, I hate the people in it, I hate the way people live, I hate God, I hate the deceivers, I hate betrayers, I hate religious zealots, I hate everything… I hate so much… (I could write 1,000 more lines like these, but does it really matter, does anyone even care)."
In extensive interviews with friends, family, teachers, and former colleagues, Kimveer Gill was described as a quiet, nice, sensitive, generous person. In detailed interviews with Gill's friends from the Punjabi community it was revealed that Gill was not accepted in the community because of his perceived homosexuality and feminine demeanor. He was described as "the nicest, gentlest person" with "a heart of gold". His friends say that prior to the shooting, Kimveer Gill had a fascination with 9/11 conspiracy theories
9/11 conspiracy theories
9/11 conspiracy theories are theories that disagree with the widely accepted account that the September 11 attacks were perpetrated solely by al-Qaeda. These theories arose because of what proponents of the conspiracy theories believe to be inconsistencies in the official conclusions or some...
, the war in Iraq, and the 1999 Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
. He liked Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's is a brand of sour mash Tennessee whiskey that is among the world's best-selling liquors. It is known for its square bottles and black label. As of November, 2007, one blogger was claiming that it was the best-selling whiskey in the world. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee by...
whiskey and was a user of ecstasy. In the last few months of his life, he ceased contact with his friends and parents, and seemed more depressed than ever.
Dawson College shooting
On September 13, 2006, Gill arrived at the Dawson CollegeDawson College
Dawson College was the first English CEGEP and is located in Westmount, just west of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Dawson College is located near the heart of downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on 4.85 hectares of green space...
campus in Montreal, armed with a Beretta Cx4 Storm
Beretta Cx4 Storm
The Beretta Cx4 Storm is a pistol-caliber carbine aimed at the sporting, personal defense and law enforcement markets. Seven different models accept full-size Beretta magazines from the 92/96, Cougar, and Px4 series pistols in 9x21 IMI , 9x19mm Parabellum, .40 S&W and .45 ACP.The Beretta Cx4 Storm...
carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
. Before entering the cafeteria, he began shooting people outside the entrance and continued shooting once he had entered the school, killing 18-year-old Anastasia De Sousa and wounding nineteen other people and holding one student hostage before officer Denis Côté and other police officers shot him in the right arm. Gill then turned his gun on himself and committed suicide. Authorities concluded the attack was premeditated, after a short suicide note
Suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message that states the author has died by suicide, and left to be discovered and read in anticipation of suicide....
was found strapped inside Gill's trenchcoat.
Possible motives
In mid-January 2007, the Montreal police department revealed additional information mentioned that Gill planned on committing similar attacks at other institutions across the city of Montreal. Among those were Vanier CollegeVanier College
Vanier College is an English-language public college located in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1970 as the second English-language public college of Quebec's public college system...
, the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
, and a secondary school in Laval
Laval, Quebec
Laval is a Canadian city and a region in southwestern Quebec. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third largest municipality in the province of Quebec, and the 14th largest city in Canada with a population of 368,709 in 2006...
. Some plans and maps were found in Gill's car near the site of the Dawson College event.
In Kimveer's online journal there are several possible motives. Some point to the following entries as being particularly telling:
A handwritten diary found by police at Gill's home revealed the extent of Gill's anger. A police source said, "It was very obvious his state of mind was deteriorating greatly over the last three weeks.". In a statement made on Friday, October 20, 2006, the head of the major crime squad for Montreal police Richard Dupuis states: "We know he was angry against the world, so it was a kind of vengeance… There is no explanation why Dawson. It could be Dawson, it could be another place".
VampireFreaks online profile
An online image gallery on Gill's VampirefreaksVampirefreaks
VampireFreaks.com is an online community for the Gothic–industrial subcultures. It was created by site owner Jethro Berelson in 1999. It began with a small number of forums dedicated to Gothic–industrial music....
.com blog, under his handle "fatality666" contained more than 50 photos depicting the young man in various poses. In several images, Gill either points a Beretta Cx4 Storm
Beretta Cx4 Storm
The Beretta Cx4 Storm is a pistol-caliber carbine aimed at the sporting, personal defense and law enforcement markets. Seven different models accept full-size Beretta magazines from the 92/96, Cougar, and Px4 series pistols in 9x21 IMI , 9x19mm Parabellum, .40 S&W and .45 ACP.The Beretta Cx4 Storm...
semi-automatic carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
at the camera, or wears a long black trench coat or what he identifies as combat boots. Some of the photos showing Gill with weapons were taken by a friend, according to his mother.
Among his many posted grievances, he stated that he hated school and work.
Gill also referenced more than 50 movies, and 3 TV shows.
Video games
Although widely reported in the media,Super Columbine Massacre was not listed as one of Gill's favourite video games or mentioned anywhere in his blog or profile.
These are the all the video games Kimveer reported in the section of the profile titled "Favorite Games:" (in actual order):
Favourite music
Kimveer's self-reported love of "Goth" was the topic of media interest, and it was widely reported that the word "Goth", in Kimveer's writings, was a reference to the alternative industrialIndustrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
and goth subculture
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
rather than a reference to the unrelated and lesser known gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
music. The actual list of favourite bands and music on Gill profile has been described in the media as a "who's who of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
". Mick Mercer
Mick Mercer
Mick Mercer is a journalist and author best known for his photos and reviews of the goth, punk, and indie music scenes. He has photographed the bands Tragic Venus and Blondie in the UK and Europe.He publishes a monthly online magazine called "The Mick"....
stated, of Kimveer Gill, that he was "not a Goth. Never a Goth. The bands he listed as his chosen form of ear-bashing were relentlessly metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and standard grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and goth metal, with some industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
presence.", "Kimveer Gill listened to metal", "He had nothing whatsoever to do with Goth" and further commented "I realise that like many Neos, Kimveer Gill may even have believed he somehow was a Goth, because they're only really noted for spectacularly missing the point." Mercer emphasized that he was not blaming Heavy Metal music for Gill's actions and "It doesn’t matter actually what music he liked."
No specific involvement with any actual music scene has been established or documented.
Kimveer Gill's online profile lists his favourite bands as follow (in actual order):
In a separate section of Gill's profile, titled "Other Favorite Stuff:", the following is found:
The Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
song "A Tout Le Monde
A Tout Le Monde
"À Tout le Monde" is the fourth song on Megadeth's sixth studio album Youthanasia, released as a single in 1995. In 2007, a re-arrangement titled "À Tout le Monde " featuring Cristina Scabbia of Italian band Lacuna Coil was released as the second single from the band's album United...
" was blamed by the media for the shootings. He had mentioned in his online blog that he had listened to it the day of the shootings. However, Megadeth's singer Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustaine
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
said Gill had "turned a beautiful song into something ugly and nasty" and that Gill was "not worthy of being a Megadeth fan." Mustaine called the song "a gift to those who are in the process of healing" after the shootings, distancing his music from Gill's interpretation of it.
Coincidentally, the date of the shooting, 9/13, is also Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustaine
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
's birthday.
Other likes and dislikes
Kimveer Gill also writes his likes and dislikes in his profile. His likes, as stated in his Vampirefreaks.com profile, are:Kimveer Gills dislikes, as stated in his vampirefreaks.com profile, are:
The blog was removed sometime prior to September 14, 2006. However, it was accessed heavily in the interval after the killings and its contents were widely reported.
External links
News articles- Macleans Magazine : Gunman Opens Fire at Dawson College
- Side-Line : Shooting by Canadian trench coat killer affects industrial / goth scene Thu, 14 Sep 2006
- CBC NewsCBC NewsCBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...
: Montreal gunman called himself 'angel of death' Thu, 14 Sep 2006 08:54:32 EDT - CNN News: College shooter showed rage, no motive
- CTV NewsCTV NewsCTV News is the news division of the CTV Television Network in Canada. The name CTV News is also applied as the title of local and regional newscasts on the network's owned-and-operated stations , which are closely tied to the national news division...
: Blog paints chilling portrait of 'Angel of Death' Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:18 AM EDT - USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
: Gunman slays 1, wounds 19 at Montreal college 9/14/2006 7:26 AM ET - Canada.com: A killer's dark mind Fri, 15 Sep 2006
- CBC NewsCBC NewsCBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...
: College shooter Gill obsessed with guns Friday, September 15, 2006 | 7:10 PM ET - CBC NewsCBC NewsCBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...
: Shootings in a Montreal college Friday, September 15, 2006 - CBC NewsCBC NewsCBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...
: Montreal college shootings reignite fierce battle over gun control in Canada Saturday, December 23, 2006 | 12:50 PM ET
General