He was accused of having a gun at school. Now, he's suing the TDSB and Toronto police
CBC
Ahmaud Benjamin Cockburn says he was having lunch in the gymnasium of his Toronto school when a fight broke out earlier this year. Not long after, the 18-year-old was arrested after it was reported he had a gun.
Now, Cockburn is suing the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Police Services Board for negligence, alleging he was a victim and not the perpetrator in the incident on Jan. 19 that plunged Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute into lockdown.
On Tuesday, Cockburn told CBC Toronto police never charged him and have failed to apologize.
"They released me, they gave me back my things, they told me 'We're releasing you...no charges,'" he said.
The Toronto Police Services Board and TPS declined to comment on the suit, saying they could not do so with the case before the courts. TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird told CBC Toronto the board's external counsel "will be responding to the lawsuit in short order."
Cockburn is also suing six students for assault and battery causing bodily injury, according to a statement of claim filed on May 9 in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Still, Cockburn said the ordeal has left him traumatized and feeling unwelcome in his community.
"Since I've been through this situation I don't even feel accepted in this community, you know. I can't leave the house without getting looks or being pointed at," he said.
"[The] majority of the students who live here go to that school, so they know. But they don't know what really went down that day, they just know the stories that they were told.
"There's ongoing PTSD — I've been seeing a therapist for that," he added.
The $2-million lawsuit alleges Cockburn was having lunch when a group of students, including some of the student defendants, began fighting and "insulting other students in the gymnasium by using racially charged epithets."
Cockburn — who did not see any teacher, supervisor, or lunch monitor on duty — intervened to break up the fight and told the students not to use those words, according to the statement of claim.
Cockurn said he heard one of the boys used the N-word and tried tried to explain "the use of this word can be very hurtful and you don't know the history behind it."
Hundreds of P.E.I. parents can't find child-care spaces, especially for infants. The provincial government says expanding those spots remains a top priority — and it recognizes the concern.
An Alberta judge says a referendum proposal on Alberta separating from Canada goes against Charter and and Treaty rights, in a decision given less than 24 hours after the provincial government introduced legislation that would have ended the court proceeding.
The architect of Alberta's politician recall legislation says it was never meant to be used as a political weapon, but as an "ultimate tool of accountability" if a politician engages in illegal or unethical behaviour.
The Government of Saskatchewan has introduced its long-promised involuntary treatment legislation on the final day of the fall sitting.
The Law Society of Ontario has suspended the licence of Deepak Paradkar, one of seven Canadians arrested in connection with alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding’s cocaine smuggling ring.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is getting rid of unlimited mental health benefits for staff, blaming ballooning costs and former administrators for implementing it without proper due diligence or oversight.
Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's TV and film studios and streaming division for $72 billion US, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood's most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer that has upended the media industry.
CBC Calgary kicks off its annual Make the Season Kind campaign this morning at Fratello Coffee Roasters.
CBC Newfoundland and Labrador is kicking off its annual holiday campaign, helping to raise money to support local food banks.
If all goes according to plan, at 6 a.m. AT on Saturday people working at the IWK Health Centre will become the test case for a generational change to Nova Scotia’s health-care system.
One month after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced what he called "generational" military spending, New Brunswick’s defence ecosystem is on high alert.
Miranda Mirlycourtois, 34, looks directly at the camera and makes a confession.
Saskatoon city hall says police spending is projected to be $2.6 million over budget this year. That pushes the city into a $1.2-million deficit position, according to a report that will be considered by city council next week.