Toronto rocked by six shootings in 12 hours, including ‘brazen’ drive-by that injured five people
Toronto has been rocked by six shootings within a 12-hour period, including a drive-by shooting that injured five late Friday - violence deputy police chief Shawna Coxon called very concerning."
Dozens" of people were put at risk when a vehicle drove up and at least one suspect opened fire on a crowd congregating in a parking lot near Jane Street and Woolner Avenue, north of St. Clair Avenue West, just after 10:15 p.m.
More than a dozen rounds were fired, injuring five people, Coxon told reporters at the scene of the shooting Saturday.
One victim, a 21-year-old man, remains in life-threatening condition while four others suffered minor injuries, Coxon said - though she noted, I hate using the term minor when we're talking about a shooting."
The reason that this is so concerning is it's a brazen shooting," Coxon said, noting five people were injured but it could have been much more."
Police are in the preliminary stages of the investigation - securing surveillance footage from the scene and seeking witness information - meaning Coxon could not provide information on whether the shooting was targeted, but she said innocent bystanders were definitely at risk."
Late Friday night, Toronto police Insp. Norm Proctor said the drive-by shooting showed no regard for human life."
Police said they are looking for two suspects seen speeding away in a dark grey sedan.
The drive-by shooting was just one of six reported in Toronto throughout the day Friday and early Saturday.
Officers with the Toronto police guns and gangs unit are current investigating whether any are connected, regardless of where they took place in the city, Coxon said.
Definitely the last 24 hours have been violent," she said.
- At around 2:20 p.m. Friday, Toronto police responded to reports of multiple gunshots outside the Scarborough Town Centre. Officers found a 26-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds to the abdomen. He was rushed to hospital in serious but non-life-threatening condition. Police say the suspects left in a dark SUV.
- Shortly after 4 p.m., Toronto police said they received reports of multiple gun shots heard near Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue East. Investigators said they located a vehicle with numerous bullet holes. While they said there were multiple crime scenes," no injuries were reported.
- Late Friday night, there were reports of multiple shots near Kipling Avenue and Kidron Valley Drive. While numerous shell casings were found, there were no reports of injuries.
- Also late Friday night, police reported that a home was shot at in the Parma Court and Victoria Park Avenue area and that there was broken glass. There were also no reported injuries.
- At about 1:20 a.m. Saturday, Toronto police said a shooting took place at Cassandra Boulevard and Whitefriars Drive., near York Mills Road and the Don Valley Parkway. Police said shell casings were located, but there were no reported injuries.
There was also a fatal shooting in Burlington on Friday afternoon.
- Shortly after 1 p.m. long-time Hamilton mobster Pasquale (Pat) Musitano was fatally shot in broad daylight, on Plains Road East, west of Waterdown Road. Halton police said another man, who has not been identified, was also shot and taken to hospital.
A suspect fled the scene heading west on Plains Road in a grey sedan.
According to Toronto police statistics updated earlier this week, shootings are up 18 per cent in the city over this time last year.
So far in 2020, there have been 220 shootings in the city, leaving 23 people dead and 73 others injured.
At this time last year, there had been 186 shootings, with 18 people fatally shot and 88 others injured.
Coxon noted current shooting levels are comparable to 2018, when the city saw a record-level number of shootings. Year-to-date in 2018, there had been 25 people fatally shot and 80 others injured.
Although shootings sometimes increase during the hot summer months, so far in 2020, March saw the most shootings, with 48 recorded by police, followed by 42 shootings in May.
In 2019, September and October saw the most shootings, with 57 each, followed by July with 56 shootings and August with 55.
With files from Raneem Alozzi, Tom Yun and Peter Edwards
Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing for the Star. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis