Fatally stabbed teen was trying to ‘defuse’ a fight

A 19-year-old student who was fatally stabbed at an Etobicoke high school was trying to defuse a confrontation between two other students, police said Wednesday morning. A 17-year-old male suspect has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the stabbing.
Investigators say he turned himself in to police with a lawyer at approximately 7:30 p.m on Tuesday. He has not been named.
Earlier that day, Hamid Aminzada was slashed in the face and stabbed in the abdomen in the hallway of North Albion Collegiate Institute (NACI) at approximately 12:20 p.m.
He was found without vital signs at the scene of the stabbing, but was revived by first responders and taken to hospital. He later died of his injuries.
Aminzada and his family arrived in Canada approximately two years ago. NACI principal Naeem Siddiq said the teen was a student in the English as a Second Language Program, and was also taking regular courses at the high school.
“This is a very nice and kind young man,” Siddiq told reporters at the school, located on Kipling Avenue north of Finch Avenue West, on Tuesday. “It’s a very sad story for us as he was quite focused on his family and his future.”
In a statement released Wednesday morning, police said Aminzada intervened to “defuse” a situation between two other students. Investigators say there had been an ongoing dispute between two other students at the school, which led to the confrontation in the hallway.
NACI was placed under a hold and secure status after the stabbing as police went room-by-room searching for the suspect.
A message on the Toronto District School Board website said that NACI will open on Wednesday as police have “concluded their investigation inside the school.” Social workers are expected to be on site at the school.
The suspect has been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning.