Toronto shooting prompts city-wide response from police, leaves one dead

Globe and Mail

a day ago

Police officers across Toronto were dispatched to a shooting on Tuesday night in the city's northwest end which left one person dead and five injured.
Police responded to a call at 8:37 p.m. in Lawrence Heights, where they say three suspects approached a cluster of people, shot into the group and then fled the area, in what they called an act of 'brazen violence.' One man, 31, was pronounced dead in the hospital in Toronto's 13th homicide of this year.
In a rare occurrence, Toronto police issued what they call a 'city-wide assist' to make sure they had enough resources. Officers from across the city were dispatched, except those already involved on other urgent calls. A city-wide assist is infrequent, happening about once a year or less, Toronto police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer said.
'Due to the chaotic nature of the incident, additional officers were called in to help secure the area, assist victims, and support the investigation,' she said in an e-mailed response to questions. She said there were reports of bystanders 'interfering with first responders as they attempted to render first aid and secure the scene.'
Toronto police didn't say how many officers were dispatched. City councillor Mike Colle, deputy mayor for North York, estimates he saw about 30 vehicles, motorcycles and about 50 police officers on the scene.
He said some of the bystanders were traumatized, and anxiously waiting for the paramedics to arrive. The ambulances 'were having some difficulty finding the location and that was the cause of the frustration.'
Outside Yorkdale Station the next day, as subway cars rattled overhead, police forensic identification services left the scene. As passersby exited the subway station, many took photos of the crime scene with their phones. Droplets of blood had dried on the cement.
At least six police cars were parked around a nearby apartment complex as residents spoke with officers. A group gathered around the entrance to the apartment complex to share their stories. One woman complained that she hadn't slept since the events took place.
Many residents said they first heard about the shooting on the news, or that the crack of gunshots startled them as they settled down for the evening. However, most said they were still too shaken by the events to comment.
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'It's really discouraging and disheartening for the people who live here,' Mr. Colle said. Over the past three or four years, 'we've really seen a real decline in the violence and the shooting and so forth, and then all of a sudden this happens and just destroys all the good work that's been going on here for the last number of years.'
The man who was shot and died, 31, was in a wheelchair, according to police. Mr. Colle said the man had been paralyzed owing to a gunshot wound in 2018 and had been in a wheelchair since then. 'To have that done twice in a lifetime is beyond belief.'
Toronto Paramedic Services said they dispatched six ambulances, one response vehicle and two paramedic supervisors. The other victims, whose ages range from 17 to 30, were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police believe this was a targeted shooting, though it's too early to say whether it was gang-related, Detective Sergeant Tiffany Castell said at a press conference at police headquarters on Wednesday. 'We're looking at every avenue,' she said.