Parole documents shed light on suspect charged with murder of U of T student
On Dec. 23, 2025, at around 3:30 p.m., 20-year-old Shivank Avasthi was at the university campus in Scarborough in the Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road area when he was shot and killed.
Avasthi was a third-year university student and was on campus for school-related reasons.
Police said a 28-year-old man is facing a first-degree murder charge in what Det. Sgt. Stacey McCabe alleges was a “planned and deliberate act.”
“I think that he was looking to target someone,” McCabe told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.
Babatunde Afuwape, a Somali-born Canadian citizen, was released on day parole on March 11, 2025 and is now serving an aggregate sentence of five years, three months and 17 days.
Atuwape was arrested on Dec. 28 when officers from 55 Division arrested him for a violation of his parole conditions. MacCabe said a firearm was also recovered.
According to Parole Board of Canada (PBC) documents obtained by Global News, Afuwape has an extensive criminal past.
Documents revealed the Afuwape was convicted on many charges including robbery, failure to comply on a probation order, discharging a firearm, possession of restricted firearm with ammunition and failing to comply with an undertaking.
He was sentenced for those crimes on May 23, 2023 and March 8, 2024. On top of the custodial sentence, the judge ordered Afuwape was to give a sample of his DNA and imposed a 10-year firearms prohibition order.
In the most recent decision dated Nov. 17, 2025, the PBC said, “Mr. Afuwape, the Board has not lost sight of the nature and gravity of your offending. While you deny being part of a robbery on an elderly man who was stabbed ruthlessly, you have been convicted for your participation in the offences for which you’re serving.”
The decision further stated that, “in addition, you were released after your arrest on a number of court-imposed conditions which you breached repeatedly and incurred further offences. These are considered aggravating factors in your case.”
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According to the PBC documents, in December 2018, Afuwape and his co-accused were in a residential area of Mississauga when he approached a pizza delivery man who was 67 years old.
Afuwape and his co-accused attacked the stranger, one pushing the man to the ground, the other getting on top of him, grabbing his legs and holding them down.
“One of you demanded his car keys while the individual straddling his torso began stabbing him with a knife. The victim sustained two large cuts, one to the back of his ear and the other to his shoulder.”
After the keys were obtained, Afuwape and his co-accused proceeded to the victim’s vehicle and drove away, leaving the victim bleeding on the ground.
The documents state that the victim eventually was able to make his way to an intersection where he sought help.
He was taken to hospital where he required staples to close the wounds.
Afuwape was arrested one week later while operating the victim’s vehicle.
At the time, he was bound by a probation order. He remained in provincial custody before being released on bail.
In October 2020, officers in Scarborough received reports of gunshots. After further investigation, surveillance video led officers to an apartment connected with Afuwape and a search warrant was executed inside his residence.
During the search warrant, police located a black holster, a loaded Geischhert handgun, 39 rounds of Blazer 9mm Lugar ammunition and an LCBO bag containing 27 spent Blazer 9mm Luger shell casings.
After an hour of negotiation, Afuwape was placed under arrest.
Following approximately 10 months in provincial custody, Afuwape was released on bail again.
In April 2022, Afuwape was again arrested on bail when officers doing a compliance check attended his residence and found his was not at home with his surety.
Afuwape was subsequently located in his building and arrested following a short pursuit after fleeing.
Afuwape was released on bail again with conditions to remain in his residence and to wear an Electronic Monitoring (EM) bracelet.
On Dec. 17, 2022, Atuwape’s father notified police that his son had left the apartment and cut off the EM bracelet.
A warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to attend court on Jan. 23, 2023. He later turned himself in to police in February.
In the reasons for sentence, the judge noted that the victim of the robbery was vulnerable given his age and the type of work he was conducting by delivering pizza to unknown individuals at night.
The judge concluded that “the violence used was gratuitous and wholly unnecessary and repetitive.”
The PBC report further states that around age 10, his parents separated and he would spend time at both their houses.
Atuwape reportedly began smoking marijuana at age 15 and dropped out of high school in Grade 12 due to his engagement in smoking marijuana.
He eventually obtained his high school diploma and enrolled in a civil engineering program full time in the fall of 2019. He completed the first semester but dropped out during the second semester when COVID lockdowns began.
The reports finds Atuwape has had limited and unstable employment comprising of jobs in a bakery for approximately one month, at McDonald’s for a week and in a factory where he quit on the first day.
A risk assessment indicated that four out of five similar offenders will not commit an indictable offence within three years or release. “Based on your Criminal Risk Index (CRI) score of 8, research found that 13% of male federal offenders in this category committed an offence within three years of release.”
The report says there are no court-provided psychological or psychiatric assessments done in the case.
It does mention that Atuwape reported a diagnosis of depression and adjustment disorder upon arrival to federal custody, however no previous mental health conditions were noted.
“A Psychological Risk Assessment (PRA) dated December 19, 2024, by Dr. Andersen assessed you as being in the low-moderate range for general recidivism and in the high-risk range for general recidivism based on actuarial assessments,” the PRA stated.
It further advised that Atuwape should complete programs and maintain positive institutional behaviour prior to release on parole.
Correctional Services Canada noted that the primary factors which contributed to Atuwape’s offences include “a willingness to resort to criminal activity and violence to resolve problems.”
Atuwape’s day parole was extended for a three-month period on Nov. 17, 2025, but the PBC recommended a panel hearing to have further discussion about the progress he was making.
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