Man charged in fatal shooting of international student on U of T campus

A man has been charged with murder after an international student was fatally shot on University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus last month.

Toronto police Det. Sgt. Stacey McCabe says officers responded to reports of a person with serious injuries on the Highland Creek Trail on Dec. 23 around 3:30 p.m.

She says officers found a 20-year-old man who was shot and he was pronounced dead on scene.

McCabe says the victim was identified as Shivank Avasthi, a third-year U of T student from India.

She says the 28-year-old suspect from Toronto was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

McCabe says police believe the shooting was planned and targeted but the accused and the victim were not known to each other.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2026.

The Canadian Press