By David Lohr

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(Continued) 

          As of this writing, all traces of the bloody rampage have been covered up and the bullet holes plastered over.  Nonetheless, the pain caused by the Dawson College shootings is still all too fresh.  The entranceway to the school has been turned into a makeshift shrine, surrounded by bouquets of flowers, candles and stuffed animals.  Of the 19 people wounded during Gill's rampage, two are in critical condition - one was shot twice in the head and the other suffered severe injuries to the stomach area.

          "One of the patients is in a much more stable condition over the last day or so but remains in a critical state," Dr. Tarek Razek, Montreal General Hospital's chief of services for trauma, told reporters on Saturday.  "Another patient is still in critical condition, more status quo, more stable, but still in a very critical state."

          Meanwhile, five other victims being treated at the hospital remain stable but require ongoing treatment, said Tarek, adding that any discharge of these patients this coming week was unlikely.

          "It's a day by day decision with the patients and their families considering what they're going through as families, as individuals, and medically speaking, in terms of their injuries," he said.

Police and Victime Outside

          As surviving students begin to cope with the reality of what happened, Dawson College announced classes would resume on Tuesday.  "We are going to do whatever we can to make them feel good to come back here," Billy Foyer, Dawson College staff member told CTV News.  Foyer also said counseling would be available.

          In the wake of the shootings, several media outlets and censorship groups are pointing fingers at the video gaming industry, claiming violent games causedKimveer Gill to become a cold-blooded killer.  Unfortunately, it is all too easy to lay blame and video games are simply that — games.  They are not training exercises for committing mass murder.  Even psychiatrists are calling game legislatures ridiculous. "These laws are nuts on so many levels." commented Dr. Jerald Block of Portland in a recent write up for The Shreveport Times.  Blaming video games does not even begin to explain the complexity of the underlying causes of Gill's anti-social behavior.  When a madman snaps, there is no rationale for the irrational.

          As we bring this article to a close, the end of this story remains to be written.  The DeSousa and Gill families both have funerals to attend to this week and the fate of at least two victims is yet to be determined.  The investigation into Gill's motives is ongoing and the community is only beginning to heal.

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