Teen clings to life after school shooting

TORONTO, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- A male 17-year-old Toronto high school student was listed in critical condition Tuesday after being shot in the chest at a school, police said.

The Bendale Business and Technical Institute in the city's east end was locked down minutes after the youth was found lying in a hallway just before noon Tuesday, the Toronto Star reported.

Traffic in the area was halted as Emergency Task Force officers and the canine unit searched for two suspects, each about 17 years old, seen running from the school, the Canwest News Service reported.

Two nearby schools were also in lockdown, police said.

Toronto police Constable Wendy Drummond told Canwest it wasn't immediately clear if the shooting happened in the school or outside on the school property.

"There were several witnesses both inside and outside the school," she said. "It's in a residential and industrial location, so there were several people in the area."