Claude Tanner

From Degrassi Wiki

Claude Tanner (c. 1972-1991) was a Canadian teenager who attended Degrassi High School, where he comitted suicide. He was portrayed by David Armin-Parcells

[edit] Degrassi Season 4 and Season 5 (High School Years)

Claude meets Caitlin in the first episode of Degrassi High. After the hall way brawl with Erica and Liz, Caitlin breaks up with Joey to be with Claude. They start a relationship, but this causes Joey and Caitlin to fight and bicker. After Claude convinces Caitlin into vandalizing a factory, he leaves her to get caught by the police. He then refuses to go with her to her court date, so she breaks up with him, and hits him. In the next season, Claude continues to pursue Caitlin, but she does not want to go out with him anymore. This leads to him bringing a gun to school.

[edit] School Shooting (Suicide)

Before "Rick Murray", Claude Tanner brought a gun to Degrassi High, when Caitlin refuses to go out with him for the final time. He takes the gun into the boys bathroom, and shoots himself. The fatal gunshot can be heard, in Mr. Walfish's class after Alexa makes a comment about lecture they were talking about. Snake, then asks if he could go to the bathroom. He is excused, and is the one that finds Claude dead. According to Snake, only part of his face was there, indicating that Claude must have shot himself in the head. Snake runs, and tells Mr. Raditch, and the school calls the police. The entire school is informed later that day, and school is let out early. Caitlin tells Maya that she is not planning to go to his funeral, and when she goes home, she finds flowers that were sent by Claude. He basically says that he hopes that she could forgive him for what he has done. This messes Caitlin up, but also brings her and Joey together again.

[edit] Similarities to Rick Murray

• Rick also had long black hair, with glasses.
• Claude and Caitlin's situation, is similar to Rick and Emma's before Rick brings a gun to school. Caitlin refused to go out with Claude, which led to him bringing a gun to school, and Emma refused to go out with Rick, which led to him bringing a gun to school, and shooting Jimmy Brooks