logo
'He was dying': Neighbour recounts Toronto shooting victim's pain as 911 hold stretched on

'He was dying': Neighbour recounts Toronto shooting victim's pain as 911 hold stretched on

CBCa day ago

Social Sharing
Kevin was watching TV in his pyjamas inside his Weston neighbourhood home Saturday night, when he heard the crack of gunshots ring out nearby.
He rushed outside to find two teenagers trying to carry another teen's body while yelling for help.
Kevin called 911. But instead of an operator, he got stuck on hold.
"We didn't know what we were supposed to do. What we did was what we thought was best, because we felt left alone at this point. He was bleeding out — he got shot in the chest," Kevin said. CBC News is using a pseudonym in place of Kevin's real name over concerns for his safety.
"I didn't see much blood, but I saw his eyes. He was in shock, and he was dying."
Days a 15-year-old was fatally shot near Emmett Avenue and Jane Street, Kevin is left wondering if a faster emergency services response would have made a difference in potentially saving the boy's life.
"It's ridiculous. A 15-year-old died, and no one is answering," he said.
"I was on hold for like 10 minutes."
A young victim
Officers were first called about the shooting around 10 p.m. In a news release, Toronto police said the boy was later taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A suspect took off before police got there, investigators say. The teen's death marks Toronto's 14th homicide of the year.
Kevin told CBC News that when he first saw what was happening that night, he ran across the street and helped bring the boy to his neighbour's house.
They laid the victim on his side as he was having trouble breathing and tried to comfort him while telling him to stay awake, Kevin said. The teen had a medical mask on at the time, he said — and when they removed it, Kevin was taken aback by just how young he was.
"When I took the mask off him so he could help breathe a bit, he was … like my son's age. I was in shock," he said.
The group eventually hailed down a car and got the boy in the back before he was taken to a nearby hospital, Kevin said.
"[It] doesn't do emergency, but we didn't know what else to do," he said.
Toronto police told CBC News in an email that the first "sound of gunshots" call for the incident came in at 10:01 p.m. That caller waited on hold for six minutes and 43 seconds to speak with an operator, police said.
Emergency crews arrived on scene at 10:11 p.m., the email said. Police officials said they received approximately six calls about the shooting.
CBC Toronto requested an interview with a representative from the service's 911 call centre for more details about what happened that night, but didn't receive a response.
Wait time unacceptable, advocate says
John Sewell, co-ordinator of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, a community group meant to spark debate around police policy, told CBC News that a 911 call wait time of almost seven minutes is "disgusting.
"When you're phoning an emergency service for something that's a serious emergency, you want to be dealt with quickly," he said.
"Being put on hold for seven minutes is not acceptable."
The National Emergency Association (NENA) has set the industry standard at answering 90 per cent of calls within 15 seconds.
Hold times for 911 calls have been an issue in Toronto in recent years. Average wait times on hold for an operator in the city went down in the first half of 2024 after climbing to the longest average wait in at least five years in 2023.
Sewell said he believes the problem can be traced back to management and oversight.
"Maybe this young person's life could have been saved, I don't know," he said.
"But in any case, you shouldn't have to wait that long in an emergency."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Speed was a factor,' say police, in collision that killed a motorcyclist in north Etobicoke on Tuesday evening
‘Speed was a factor,' say police, in collision that killed a motorcyclist in north Etobicoke on Tuesday evening

CTV News

time2 hours ago

  • CTV News

‘Speed was a factor,' say police, in collision that killed a motorcyclist in north Etobicoke on Tuesday evening

A motorcyclist has died after being pinned under a bus following a June 10 collision near Kipling Avenue and Steeles Avenue West. (Jacob Estrin/CTV News Toronto) later 'Speed was a factor,' say police, in a collision that killed a man operating motorcycle early Tuesday evening in north Etobicoke. The crash happened in the Rexdale neighbourhood, near Kipling Avenue and Steeles Avenue West. Speaking to the media at the scene, Acting Insp. Baheer Sarvanandan, of Toronto Police Service, said around 7 p.m. this evening they received multiple calls about a motorcycle that had been involved in a collision that involved another vehicle and a TTC bus. He said a 29-year-old man operating a motorcycle was travelling northbound on Kipling, near the intersection of Steeles, when he 'became separated' from his vehicle and 'ended up underneath the bus that was traveling northbound on the curb lane.' '(It) still continued to with the momentum, proceeded into the intersection, and collided with another vehicle traveling eastbound,' said Sarvanandan, who added that despite the life-saving efforts of paramedics, firefighters, and police officers, the motorcyclist was pronounced dead. He said the motorcycle was travelling at a high rate of speed and was carried well over 200 metres from the initial crash site. The motorcyclist was freed from underneath the bus and rushed to a trauma centre in life-threatening condition, but succumbed to his injuries, they said in a post on social media. Paramedics previously told CTV News Toronto that they transported a man in his 40s to a trauma centre. No one on the bus was injured, however the driver is traumatized, Sarvanandan said. Fatal motorcycle crash June 10 Kipling/Steeles Police say speed was a factor in a collision that killed a motorcyclist in north Etobicoke on June 10. (Jacob Estrin/CTV News Toronto) People who witnessed the collision say speeding has long been a concern in the area. 'Before the crash happened, we heard motorcycles zooming up and down,' one person told CTV News Toronto. 'We heard a screech and our coach came and told us there was a guy on the ground and his bike was on the other side of the intersection.' Another witness said they heard a 'loud bang.' 'My dad came and said a bike was on one side and the guy was on the other. Prior to that I heard bikes zooming up and down,' they said. 'Many, many months back, if it's the same person, I had spoken to him. He always did stunts on this road. I told him 'Don't do it.' He said he loves it. I said 'Think about your parents'.' Acting Insp. Baheer Sarvanandan Acting Insp. Baheer Sarvanandan speaks to reports at the scene of a fatal collisin involving a motorcycle on June 10 in north Etobicoke. Currently, collision reconstructionists are on scene and will be on hand for some time to figure out what happened 'But I can tell you this is the 19th traffic fatality. And if you compare that to a shooting, 15 shooting homicides (have) happened (so far this year),' Sarvanandan noted. 'So road safety is still a priority. It's important that (if) someone, you know, decides to speed or not be careful, you know, we take that seriously.' Steeles remains closed westbound at Islington Avenue and Kipling is closed northbound at Islington and Kidron Valley Drive as police investigate. Anyone with further information is asked to contact Traffic Services at 416-808-1900 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

1 person critical in aftermath of basement suite fire on Hunterhorn Drive
1 person critical in aftermath of basement suite fire on Hunterhorn Drive

CTV News

time2 hours ago

  • CTV News

1 person critical in aftermath of basement suite fire on Hunterhorn Drive

One person was taken to hospital in critical condition on Tuesday evening, after firefighters pulled them from a burning house in northeast Calgary. One person was taken to hospital in critical condition on Tuesday evening, after firefighters pulled them from a burning house in northeast Calgary. It happened just before 6:30 p.m. in the basement suite of a home in the 100 block of Hunterhorn Drive N.E. 'Crews arrived and found a basement suite in a detached home ... both smoke and fire inside the basement suite,' said Dave Nelson, a district chief with the Calgary Fire Department. 'When crews arrived, they were told there was possibly a victim inside.' One person was taken to hospital in critical condition on Tuesday evening, after firefighters pulled them from a burning house in northeast Calgary. One person was taken to hospital in critical condition on Tuesday evening, after firefighters pulled them from a burning house in northeast Calgary. Firefighters brought out one person. EMS transported one adult to Foothills Hospital in critical condition. Nobody else was hurt in the fire. A fire investigator and Calgary police were working on the scene Tuesday night.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store