Trini student shot dead in Toronto

Brenda Donnelly whispered a word of thanks to the man who died defending her son.

Standing near the spot where David was shot dead, she hugged the many friends who came together Monday night to mourn him. "He saved my son. It could have been him lying there," Ms Donnelly said. "The gun was in his face. He said, ‘Mom, I saw the fire come out.’"

The shooting occurred in a lane way just off Danforth Avenue near Dawes Road around 1:45 am after Ms Donnelly’s 16-year-old son ran to David asking for help. He told David he was being chased by two teens on bicycles who were threatening to rob him.

David was a friend of Ms Donnelly’s and a regular at the local bar who had a reputation for looking after the neighbourhood children. He approached the two teens and asked them to leave the area, speaking calmly and respectfully, witnesses said.

The teens were angry, and asked David why he was intervening on the boy’s behalf, but they left soon after. David then retreated into the alley to ask Ms Donnelly’s son why he was being chased. Seconds later, the teens came riding down the alley toward them. One was holding a gun. "It was like a ride-by shooting," said Sherry Murphy, who was standing barely ten metres away when the shots were fired.