David Lipson
Senior Reporter

Paramprit Dhinsa’s family said he could brighten a room with his smile.
“I’ve never seen him with a frown,” said his uncle Inderpal Dhinsa.  “He could light up the room.”
The Humber business administration student, known as Parma, was murdered on Reindeer Road near his Malton home on Tuesday, Sept. 16 around 4 p.m.
Dhinsa was shot. He was rushed to Etobicoke General Hospital, the same building he was born in 23 years earlier.
 He was known to give hugs to strangers.
“He was very joyful,” said his uncle.  “He was excited when he met you, he hugged you when he met you, and he smiled when he met you.”
Police arrested a 17-year-old male on Sept. 20. His identity cannot be revealed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The youth is charged with first-degree murder. He is also charged in connection with an armed robbery that occurred shortly before Dhinsa’s murder.
Police are trying to determine the identity of a second suspect who is considered armed and dangerous. There is no known motive in the homicide.
“I’ve seen hundreds of friends come by,” said another uncle Bhupinder Singh, standing outside Dhinsa’s home.  “I don’t see why someone would want to hurt him.”
Inderpal added: “There are a lot of speculations on what happened and there are a lot of rumours about his character in the media.”
Baljeet Kandola, 18, looked up to Dhinsa and started a Facebook group in his memory.
When asked by the Et Cetera if Dhinsa was into drugs, Kandola replied: “I don’t think he was into that shit.
“Youth have been getting into this violence, there’s no use man,” he said.  “You hear it on the news that someone got shot and this and that. But you never realize until someone you know drops.”
Relatives said he was attending Humber to get a degree to help out with the family business.
“He was just getting his life on track,” said Kandola.  “He was just really serious about school.”
Dhinsa was a natural athlete who once dreamt of playing in the NHL.
He excelled at Bhangra, a traditional Punjabi dance, said Kandola.
Dhinsa’s friend Jasmine Bassi posted a tribute on YouTube that uses the song Koi Mor-Billa Bakshi, a favourite of Dhinsa’s, with a chorus that translates to “my friend has left me.”
“He always thought of others before he thought of himself, and was only happy when those around him were happy,” she said in an e-mail.
Humber College expressed its condolences to Dhinsa’s family.
“Everybody feels very badly about such an incident occurring and the waste and loss of life,” said John Mason, vice-president of student services at the college.
He said the tragic events team in the college’s counseling department will work with the Business School to provide support to students affected by the murder.
This is the second time in the last few years a Humber student has been killed in gun violence.
Jermaine Brown, a culinary arts student, was murdered in March 2006.
Dhinsa’s family is urging anyone with information on the murder to contact Peel homicide bureau at (905) 453-2121 ext. 3205, or to leave an anonymous tip with Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
With files from Alex Cooper