Date October 27, 1975 Weapons Shotgun, knife | Non-fatal injuries 5 Name St. X | |
Deaths 3 (including the perpetrator) | ||
The St. Pius X High School shooting occurred on October 27, 1975, at St. Pius X High School in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was Canada's second recorded school shooting. The gunman, Robert Poulin, an 18-year-old St. Pius student, opened fire on his classmates with a shotgun, killing one and wounding five before killing himself. Poulin had raped and stabbed 17-year-old Kim Rabot to death prior to the incident. A book entitled Rape of a Normal Mind was written about the incident.
Robert came from a military family and had military aspirations of his own. These were largely thwarted by his physical condition and psychological immaturity, resulting in his being rejected from the officer training program he applied to. His physical problems included poor eyesight and a chest deformity. He was obsessed with sex and pornography, and had written about wanting to have sex before he died. He had been suicidal at least three years prior to his attack.