A former Junior hockey player has been identified as the victim in a fatal triple shooting early Friday morning at a campus bar at Lambton College in Sarnia.
Sarnia police said they were called to the Lions Den pub on campus for a report of a shooting just before 1 a.m., where they found three injured people.
One of them was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police identified him as 20-year-old Dane Nisbet.
The two other victims were treated for non life-threatening injuries. Police said all three victims knew each other, but didn’t elaborate.
Nisbet previously played for the Jr. C Mooretown Flags and North Middlesex Stars in the PJCHL, who called his death a “profound tragedy.”
A Facebook post from someone claiming to be Nisbet’s cousin remembered him as more than just a talented hockey player.
“To me you will always be one of the other innocent babies that grew up alongside my daughter in our grandma’s backyard,” wrote Sarah Rogers.
“You didn’t deserve this at all. Can’t believe such evil in this world exists that could extinguish such a pure spirit and light as yours.”
Police said investigators were interviewing a large number of witnesses and gathering evidence. They are investigating the incident as a homicide, but no arrests have been made. They said they are looking for more than one suspect.
“In order to prevent any misinformation or speculation, no information has been received that this incident targeted Lambton College or the general crowd in attendance,” police said in an update later Friday. “There is also no information to support any speculation of political motivation in any form.”
Lambton College released a statement on the fatal violence, calling it a “profound tragedy.”
The school said the shooting took place during a Student Administrative Council event at the pub on the Sarnia Main Campus.
It also announced that the campus would be closed Friday.
“We continue to work closely with Sarnia Police Service as they investigate,” the college wrote. “We ask that the privacy of our community members and their loved ones be respected.”
Nolan Quinn, minister of colleges and universities, said his thoughts are with the victim, the injured and their families, as well as the entire campus community.
“I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the horrific act of violence that took place on Lambton College’s campus early this morning,” he said Friday at an unrelated press conference.
Quinn thanked the college’s leadership team “for their swift response in co-operation with law enforcement to restore safety to the campus.”
Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report