A teenage boy who was shot and killed in North York on Monday afternoon is being remembered as an “all-around good kid” who “lit up any room that he was in.”
Cashie Auguste, 17, was gunned down just after 3:30 p.m. on Monday near a bus shelter at the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue West.
He was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead there a short time later.
So far, no suspect information has been released. Investigators have also not said what may have motivated the shooting.
Vigils planned for teen
Amanda Coombs, the founder and CEO of Back 2 Basickz Youth Support Services, is heartbroken by Cashie’s death. Her non-profit organization provides mental health, academic, employment, and justice-related support for youth in Scarborough and North York.
She says she knew the teen as he’d taken part in her youth programs in the Jane-Finch community.
“It’s very sad. Cashie attended my after-school program upstairs in Yorkgate Mall,” Coombs told CP24 on Tuesday.
Coombs said her organization has organized a memorial for the teen on Tuesday at the York University TC Community Engagement Centre, which is located on the second floor of Yorkgate Mall, near Jane Street and Finch Avenue West.
Youth who knew Cashie directly and other young people from the community affected by this latest instance of deadly gun violence are welcome to attend the gathering. The memorial is set to get underway at 5 p.m. and will conclude with a candle lighting outside the teen’s apartment building on nearby San Romanoway.
A separate community-wide vigil for Cashie is also set to take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue, where a makeshift memorial has since sprung up. All are welcome to attend and are asked to bring a candle.
‘They robbed him of his life’: community worker
Speaking with CTV News Toronto on Tuesday afternoon, Coombs said Cashie was an “amazing youth,” who will be “truly missed.”
“He would come by after school with his friends from the community, and now we’re never gonna get to see him walk through these doors again. We’re never gonna see him come by,” she shared.
Coombs said she received a call last night from some of the youth in her organization letting her know that Cashie had been shot. She said her first instinct was to pray he’d pull through.
“And then we got the news that he didn’t. ... They robbed him of his life,” she said.
“He had so much potential. (He was a) very talented kid playing the piano, the keyboard, always laughing, smiling. (He) just lit up any room that he was in and they took that from us. They took away his career, his dreams, his goals, everything that he had planned ahead of him. Everything.”
Coombs said Cashie was “all-around good kid” and she can’t understand why he was shot.
She said that the brazenness of the shooting in broad daylight was particularly jarring.
“This could have happened to anyone that was coming off that bus that day. I don’t even know if he was targeted. He could have just been an innocent bystander,” she said.
She said more supports are greatly needed for programs like hers in the community, safe spaces for youth to come to do their homework, to look for a job, and to relax and have fun.
Coombs is urging those who made it out of the community, including those who have gone through the justice system and turned their life around, to come back and “pour into our youth and show them that they don’t have to pick up guns.”
“We’re tired of losing our youth to the streets. We’re tired. We’re tired of it. We’re never gonna see Cashie again. He’s gone,” she said.
Cashie will be ‘deeply missed’
In a message on Instagram, Royalty Helping Hands, a Black-led nonprofit organization focused on empowering marginalized communities and underserved youth in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood, said that it’s entire youth committee is “broken by the loss of a youth we work with.”
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Cashie,” the post said.
“Our collective community stands with (his) family, friends, classmates, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. Cashie, you will be deeply missed.”
Cashie was a Grade 12 student at C W Jeffreys Collegiate Institute on Sentinel Road. Today, the flag there is flying half-mast in his honour.
A letter sent to the school community on Monday shared the news of his death. Penned by the school’s principal Gopal Devanabanda, it said that that one of their students “tragically lost their life following a shooting in the community.”
“Out of respect for the family, we are not identifying the student at this time, however as news of their tragic passing is already spreading, we felt it was important to make you aware and that we are here to support students,” the note read.
“We are deeply saddened by what has occurred and our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to the families and individuals impacted.”
Devanabanda went on to say that they are reaching out as some students may have seen police activity or heard about what occurred and are “understandably upset.”
“When a serious incident happens so close to home, children may experience feelings of fear, uncertainty, anxiety or even anger,” he wrote.
“Teachers will be checking in with their classes tomorrow and social work supports will be in place at the school to for students who want someone to speak to. These supports will remain available as long as they are needed.
The principal went on to encourage families to talk about what happened and provided links to various resources to assist them during this difficult time.
In a post on social media on Monday night, Humber River Black Creek Coun. Anthony Perruzza called the death of the teen “an unimaginable loss” for the community.
Local MPP Tim Rakocevic has also offered his sympathies to the teen’s family, urging those with information to come forward.
“Our community is shaken after another young life has been taken away by senseless gun violence,” he wrote.
With files from CTV News Toronto’s Janice Golding
