Concordia University massacre

The Concordia University massacre was a school shooting on August 24, 1992 in which Dr. Valery I. Fabrikant, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, killed four colleagues and wounded a staff member at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Fabrikant was a mechanical engineering associate professor who had worked at Concordia University for 13 years. He had begun as a technician, and long demonstrated disruptive behaviour against students, staff members and other academics, described as ranging from "undesirable to intolerable", which the university had struggled to deal with. In addition, he had presented academic challenges in teaching and supervision. As early as 1989, two people reported him saying, "I know how people get what they want, they shoot a lot of people."

Relations between Fabrikant and the University became increasingly strained in late 1991 and the spring of 1992. Colleagues became alarmed after he turned his aggression against them. After being denied tenure, Fabrikant charged members of the engineering department with questionable financial dealings and improper credit for research work. Because of his unacceptable behaviour in addition to the charges, he faced dismissal on grounds of intimidation and harassment of fellow staff members. He was also under a contempt of court charge for behaviour in a lawsuit against colleagues regarding credit on professional articles.

On August 24, Fabrikant entered the Engineering department at Concordia with three guns and ammunition in his briefcase with revenge in mind. In his shooting rampage on the ninth floor of the Henry F. Hall Building, he killed Electrical and Computer Engineering Departmental Chair Dr. Phoivos Ziogas and professors Dr. Matthew Douglass, Dr. Michael Hogben, and Dr. Aaron Jaan Saber (known as Jaan Saber). Fabrikant wounded Elizabeth Horwood, a departmental staff secretary. None of the victims were personally involved in the controversy which Fabrikant had started.

Fabrikant was charged with murder and assault, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He is eligible for parole in 2017.