'Can't be caged anymore' Toronto police fear for public safety as killer from Taber flees halfway house
By KEVIN CONNOR and MIKE D'AMOUR, SUN MEDIA
TORONTO -- The killer who fatally shot a Taber high school student and seriously wounded another in 1999 is on the lam and vows he won't be taken alive.
Todd Cameron Smith, 20, did not return to his Toronto halfway house yesterday, prompting police to issue a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.
Smith left behind a chilling note that said he would rather be dead than forced to return to jail or the halfway house. "I can't be caged anymore," he wrote. "If they find me they will have to kill me."
The killer was just 14 years old in April 1999 when he took a sawed-off .22-calibre rifle, stuffed more than 350 bullets in his pockets and opened fire in W.R. Myers high school.
It was just one week after the Littleton, Colo., massacre during which 12 students and one teacher were slain before the two teen gunmen killed themselves.
In Taber, Smith killed Jason Lang, 17, wounded another student and missed a third before he was tackled and subdued by school staff. He was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in November 2000.
The youth, who'd been targeted by bullies, was sentenced to three years of secure custody along with seven years of conditional supervision in a halfway house.
While in jail, Smith, now 20, suffered a series of medical problems, including a stroke. He escaped from the downtown Toronto centre around 3:30 a.m. yesterday.
As a young offender Smith could not be identified, but Toronto Police went to court for permission to name him and release his photo during the manhunt.
Meanwhile, Jason Lang's dad said he continues to pray for his son's killer. Rev. Dale Lang added he was saddened to hear Smith had fled custody.
"He had made some progress, that's why he was in the halfway home ... it's a huge disappointment to know he will have to go back into custody," said Lang who, since his son's death has travelled to 400 schools across the country delivering an anti-bully message.
Smith's father said the getaway came as a surprise.
"When I saw him (Sunday), he was fine," Bob Smith said. "Nobody, including the people in the home watching over him, believes that he did this."
In their last conversation, Smith told his father he was thinking about college, possibly to study robotics.
"He's brilliant, but socially his mind is like a 12 or 14-year-old," said Smith, adding he promised to notify police if he learns of his son's whereabouts. "It's a puzzle to me. I don't know what to say."
It is believed Smith is still in Ontario and there are no fears he's heading back to Taber, said Insp. Graham Abela of the Taber police. However, the victims and school officials were told of the escape.
"There was some shock, the degree quite low, though," he said. "It was more or less just a feeling of concern, of not knowing why this person would leave the home."
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Calgar...74930-sun.html
I hope he kills himself.
Canadian Columbine CopyCat On The Loose! 
