Latest news with #JahVaiRoy
The Province
8 hours ago
- The Province
Family, community mourn 8-year-old Toronto boy killed by stray bullet while in bed
JahVai Roy was killed in his home in the city's north end early Saturday morning in what police have called a 'cowardly act' Published Aug 19, 2025 • 3 minute read JahVai Roy was just 8 years old when a stray bullet struck and killed him in his bedroom in his apartment building at Martha Eaton Way and Trethewey Dr. near Black Creek Dr. in the city's north end. Photo by TORONTO POLICE SERVICE An eight-year-old Toronto boy killed by a stray bullet while he was in bed with his family is being remembered as a compassionate and fearless child as the community prepares to hold a vigil in his memory later this week. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors JahVai Roy was killed in his home in the city's north end early Saturday morning in what police have called a 'cowardly act.' Marcell Wilson, a friend of the family, said they are still in shock and trying to make sense of the death while making arrangements to bury the boy. Wilson described JahVai as 'a genuinely good, happy, compassionate, kind, curious child,' who always made sure to look after his mom and his two siblings. 'He was the type of boy that wanted to climb a tree, or if there was a bird or something, he'd want to pick it up and touch it,' Wilson said in an interview Tuesday. 'He was fearless.' The vigil for JahVai is set to take place Thursday evening near the apartment building where he died. The Toronto police homicide unit has said a bullet from a shooting outside the building in the Martha Eaton Way and Trethewey Drive area entered the residence at around 12:30 a.m. Saturday. Police said stray bullets also entered two other units, but no one else was injured. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Despite every parent's instinct to keep their children safe at home, that sanctuary was shattered in an instant,' says a statement on an online fundraiser launched to support JahVai's family. The GoFundMe page has already raised more than $57,000, and says funds will help the family with funeral expenses, relocation costs and trauma counselling. Wilson said JahVai's mom is currently trying to pick out the clothes she'll put on her son before she buries him in Wikwemikong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, where traditional ceremonies will be held to honour the boy's Ojibway-Jamaican heritage. Wilson, who is also the founder of advocacy organization The One By One Movement, said he first met the family four years ago when they reached out seeking support for JahVai's older sister, who was being bullied. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. From the young age of six, Wilson said JahVai was a strong advocate against bullying and became the youngest member in a child youth council initiative run by Wilson's organization. 'Because of the stress that his sister was experiencing, he was very enthusiastic about contributing and learning more about bullying and becoming sort of an ambassador for that in his age group,' Wilson said. Coun. Frances Nunziata, who represents the neighbourhood where JahVai was killed, said she has been in touch with the boy's family several times to support them. 'I really can't get over this. It makes me sick of gun violence and innocent people throughout the city being killed,' she said. Nunziata said she's received many emails from community members asking how they can show support, and she's inviting them to attend Thursday's vigil and help work on solutions to end gun violence. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It's just crazy what's happening,' Nunziata said. 'We're not even safe in our own homes.' Wilson said he hopes this acts as a 'wake-up call' to spark community and government action against gun violence. 'We don't want to see another JahVai Roy, ever. So let this be the last. And the only way this can be the last is that we all work together,' Wilson said. A social media post invites community members to wear blue to the vigil, described as JahVai's favourite colour. The post says the boy's light 'continues to shine in the hearts of all who knew and loved (him).' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2025. Vancouver Canucks Local News Local News Local News Crime
Toronto Sun
19 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
WARMINGTON: As Toronto mourns murdered child, it's clear justice elusive in many killings
There's only pain and the lasting looks on their faces which remind of the life that was stolen from them by people who rarely pay any price Get the latest from Joe Warmington straight to your inbox The single bullet hole and police marker are still visible in the first-floor bedroom where Roy was killed. on Monday August 18, 2025. Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network They will be wearing blue at a vigil for JahVai Roy to represent the slain eight-year-old boy's favourite colour. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The whole city is blue as it mourns the murder of this kid, who should have been safe in his own bed. JahVai deserved better than what Toronto dished out to him. There's no one offering him or his family an apology after the child was killed by a stray bullet. But it wouldn't make a difference even if someone did. He's not playing in that playground at his building at Black Creek and Trethaway Drs. as he should be and never will again. He wasn't allowed to get to his ninth birthday, let alone get to grow up and have a successful life. JahVai Roy. Photo by HANDOUT / TORONTO POLICE It's all so infuriating. There will be a vigil Thursday evening outside the murder scene at 15 Martha Eaton Way to remember a boy who was senselessly shot through the window of his apartment building while in bed. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This will happen after his mom, Holly Roy, buries her child during a funeral planned in her home community of Wikwemikong Wednesday. There is also a 'Justice for JahVai' rally planned Friday at 10 a.m outside of Toronto City Hall calling for a curb of gun violence. JahVai Roy, 8, was struck and killed by a stray bullet while sleeping in his North York home. HANDOUT Photo by HANDOUT / TORONTO SUN 'I am currently travelling back to our community to bury my son in a traditional burial,' Holly Roy told the Toronto Sun, adding she wants 'to share his story' with the hopes that no other mom will have to go through what she is currently enduring. While a noble pursuit, history shows this will be difficult to achieve. As the Sun's front page illustrated Tuesday, Toronto is very good at eating its own young. So many people have died by gun. All some families have left are their pictures. They know the killers are protected by the system while their victims are discarded. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Can you show the photos of the killers?' asked one reader. Readers asked about showing the killers This was a good point. And when I went back over the files of those on the front page, and some of the others mentioned in the column, one thing is very clear: There is no justice for these victims. In many instances, cases remain unsolved. Others are still before courts after years of legal wrangling. And in some cases, the people responsible have already served their time. There is no fairness and closure on heinous murders. Just death. A Dec. 22, 2009 court sketch of Jeremiah Valentine in court in Toronto. Valentine pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Dec. 26, 2005 death of Jane Creba. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years. (Alex Tavshunshky / Global TV) As the Sun's Michele Mandel reported in July, Jeremiah Valentine, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in fatal 2005 shooting of innocent bystander Jane Creba on Yonge St., was released on parole only to be accused of committing a murder several months later in Montreal. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mandel also reported co-accused Louis Woodcock and Tyshaun Barnett, both convicted of manslaughter in the Creba killing, have been in trouble with the law after being released. Recommended video Mandel wrote 'in 2017, with just one day remaining on his parole, Woodcock was arrested in Kingston and charged with drug offences' and 'in 2018, he was convicted of having illegal possession of 30 grams of marijuana' and in 2024 was arrested by Toronto Police 'on numerous firearm and drug-related charges which are still pending.' As for Barnett, despite his lifetime weapons ban, he was last year sentenced to another 11 years in prison for firing four shots into a man's legs in Ottawa in what the Crown described as a ' revenge ' shooting in April 2022. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A courtroom sketch from the 2010 trial in Toronto shows Tyshaun Barnett, left, and Louis Woodcock, middle, along with a Crown attorney and the judge. Last week, Barnett was found guilty of shooting a man in Vanier in 2022, causing non-fatal injuries. Photo by Pam Davies / SUN MEDIA / POSTMEDIA NETWORK Justice does not come easily in these cases and really doesn't come at all. In the 2007 shooting of 11-year-old Ephraim Brown, the accused Akiel Eubank and Gregory Sappleton were found not guilty by a jury in 2010. In 2007, two unnamed 17-year-olds charged in the shooting in the CW Jeffreys school slaying of 15-year-old Jordan Manners were acquitted. Shyanne Charles, right, Joshua Yasay, left, were killed in a shooting outside a community housing complex on Danzig St. on July 2012. Nahom Tsegazab, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2012 shooting deaths of Shyanne Charles, 14, and Joshua Yasay, 23, at a Danzig St. barbecue has already served his time. Nahom Tsegazab and Justice John McMahon listen as mother of victim Shyanne Charles punches her fist at the accused during her victim impact statement April 11, 2014. Photo by Pam Davies / Postmedia Toronto Danforth shooter Faisal Hussain. Photo by Hussain family Faisal Hussain, 29, the shooter of slain Reese Fallon, 18 and 10-year-old Julianna Kozis, as well as wounding 13 others, shot himself in the terrifying Danforth attack of 2018. A rally is set for city hall to protest gun violence in wake the death of eight-year-ol JahVai Roy In July — in the 2020 stray bullet shooting death of 12-year-old Dante Andreatta — a jury found Rashawn Chambers, Jahwayne Smart and Cjay Hobbs guilty of first degree murder and five counts of attempted murder. All face life sentences with no parole eligibility for 25 years. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Safiullah Khosrawi, 15, was shot to death in Scarborough, allegedly by another 15-year-old, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. (GoFundMe) The murder of 15-year-old Mario Giddings murder from September 2024, in a plaza next to the Martha Eaton Way murder scene, remains under investigation – as does JahVai Roy case. Mario Giddings is pictured last year after he returned from a trip to St. Lucia. The 15-year-old was shot and killed at a North York plaza on Sept. 2, 2024. (Supplied photo) In researching this, I found there are many unsolved shooting murder cases that remain under investigation. There are too many cases to name them all, and we respect each and every victim. But some of the unsolved cases that stand out to me are ones I worked on. They include Ariella Navarro-Fenoy, 26, who was hit with a stray bullet near the Muzik Nightclub where 23-year-old Duvel Hibbert was also shot to death at a Drake after concert party in 2015 on the CNE grounds. Candice Bobb was pregnant when she was murdered in 2016. HANDOUT/ TPS The horrible case of the shooting of Ruma Amar, 29, in 2018 remains unsolved. She was caught with a stray bullet in a shooting outside a bowling alley on Samor Rd. The shooting also took the life of intended target Thanh Ngo, 32. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Widower Amandeep Luthra grieves for his wife Ruma Amar, an innocent bystander shot to death outside of a bowling alley last year. Photo by Stan Behal / The Toronto Sun In 2018, Jenas Nyarko, 31, was struck and killed in a car at Replin Rd. and Old Meadow Lane. Her killer is still on the loose. Jenas Nyarko (Facebook) Time will tell if Toronto Police lay charges in JaiVai's death and what any possible outcome will be determined in the courts. But a community is shaken by yet another senseless and repugnant gun death of an innocent person. Blue is the appropriate colour, but red would be good to because seeing red about all of these people being killed for no reason is what Toronto should be seeing. Or at least they should be. Toronto Blue Jays NHL World Canada Sunshine Girls
National Post
20 hours ago
- National Post
Family, community mourn 8-year-old Toronto boy killed by stray bullet while in bed
An eight-year-old Toronto boy killed by a stray bullet while he was in bed with his family is being remembered as a compassionate and fearless child as the community prepares to hold a vigil in his memory later this week. Article content JahVai Roy was killed in his home in the city's north end early Saturday morning in what police have called a 'cowardly act.' Article content Article content Marcell Wilson, a friend of the family, said they are still in shock and trying to make sense of the death while making arrangements to bury the boy. Article content Article content Wilson described JahVai as 'a genuinely good, happy, compassionate, kind, curious child,' who always made sure to look after his mom and his two siblings. Article content Article content 'He was the type of boy that wanted to climb a tree, or if there was a bird or something, he'd want to pick it up and touch it,' Wilson said in an interview Tuesday. 'He was fearless.' Article content The vigil for JahVai is set to take place Thursday evening near the apartment building where he died. Article content The Toronto police homicide unit has said a bullet from a shooting outside the building in the Martha Eaton Way and Trethewey Drive area entered the residence at around 12:30 a.m. Saturday. Police said stray bullets also entered two other units, but no one else was injured. Article content 'Despite every parent's instinct to keep their children safe at home, that sanctuary was shattered in an instant,' says a statement on an online fundraiser launched to support JahVai's family. Article content The GoFundMe page has already raised more than $57,000, and says funds will help the family with funeral expenses, relocation costs and trauma counselling. Article content Article content Wilson said JahVai's mom is currently trying to pick out the clothes she'll put on her son before she buries him in Wikwemikong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, where traditional ceremonies will be held to honour the boy's Ojibway-Jamaican heritage. Article content Wilson, who is also the founder of advocacy organization The One By One Movement, said he first met the family four years ago when they reached out seeking support for JahVai's older sister, who was being bullied. Article content From the young age of six, Wilson said JahVai was a strong advocate against bullying and became the youngest member in a child youth council initiative run by Wilson's organization. Article content 'Because of the stress that his sister was experiencing, he was very enthusiastic about contributing and learning more about bullying and becoming sort of an ambassador for that in his age group,' Wilson said. Article content Coun. Frances Nunziata, who represents the neighbourhood where JahVai was killed, said she has been in touch with the boy's family several times to support them.
CTV News
21 hours ago
- CTV News
Vigil planned for 8-year-old boy fatally struck by stray bullet in North York
Video The mother of 8-year-old JahVai Roy, who was killed by a stray bullet over the weekend at his North York home, says her son's tragic death will not be in vain.
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
Vigil set for eight-year-old Toronto boy killed by stray bullet while in bed
A vigil is set to take place Thursday evening for an eight-year-old Toronto boy who was killed this weekend by a stray bullet while he was in bed with his family. JahVai Roy was killed in his home in the city's north end early Saturday morning in what police are calling a 'cowardly act.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The city's homicide unit has said a bullet from a shooting outside a building in the Martha Eaton Way and Trethewey Drive area entered the residence at around 12:30 a.m. They say stray bullets also entered two other units, but no one else was injured. A social media post invites community members to gather on Thursday evening and to wear blue, described as JahVai's favourite colour. The post says the boy's light 'continues to shine in the hearts of all who knew and loved (him).'
