Toronto mayor says Lawrence Heights residents are ‘traumatized’ following deadly shooting

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and police officials spoke from the site of a mass shooting in Lawrence Heights on their commitment to hearing community concerns.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says some Lawrence Heights residents are “traumatized” two days after a deadly shooting in the neighbourhood.

“There was a lot of grief, which I completely understand. Losing a loved one, or watching your neighbours being gunned down. Traumatized by violence. Scared. Really scared for their kids,” Chow said alongside Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw after meeting with members of the community Thursday morning.

“It was a difficult conversation, but critically important.”

One person was killed and five others were injured Tuesday night when shots rang out at Ranee Avenue and Varna Drive, near Yorkdale mall, where police say armed suspects walked up to a group of people and opened fire.

A 31-year-old man, who was in a wheelchair, suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to the hospital where he later died. He has not been identified by police.

Eglinton-Lawrence Coun. Mike Colle, who joined Chow and Demkiw in the community on Thursday, previously told CP24 that the deceased was left paralyzed from a separate 2018 shooting.

Five other victims, ranging in age from 17 to 30 years old, were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. In a statement released Thursday, CUPE Local 79, the union representing 30,000 city workers, said one of the victims is employed by the city and was struck by a bullet as they were leaving work at the Lawrence Heights Community Centre.

In a separate statement, the City of Toronto confirmed that an off-duty member of the Parks and Recreation staff was among the victims.

Police say Tuesday night’s incident was targeted and that they’re looking for three armed suspects, all of whom are described as males, with slim to average builds, wearing dark clothing and face coverings.

Investigators would not say if the shooting was gang related.

The police chief spoke about the investigation on Thursday, saying it is “very, very active” as the search continues for the suspects.

“We’re also committed to doing everything we can to prevent and intervene regarding gun violence, not just in this community, but across the city and we’ll remain laser focused in our efforts to do everything we can to tackle gun violence, particularly as the summer months are upon us,” Demkiw said.

He added that there will continue to be an increased police presence in the community.

‘System is failing’: Colle calls on feds, province for bail reform

Colle, who represents the area, said he and his constituents are seeing “firsthand what happens when a system is failing” as he called on Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford for bail reform.

“If we don’t get the federal government and the provincial government to wake up and start having a realistic criminal justice system, (if) we keep arresting the same people and keep them on the streets, we’re not going to fix this problem,” he said.

It’s unclear if the suspects sought in the Lawrence Heights shooting were previously known to police.

Ford has long railed against Canada’s bail system and Carney has vowed to toughen up bail laws for violent offenders.

Demkiw said he heard similar concerns from community members on Thursday, and said he has a meeting scheduled with the federal government in the coming weeks to discuss the issue.

“What I heard was a sense of frustration around the system and how concerned the community is about people returning into the community after facing very serious charges, and the safety concern that poses,” he said, noting that reform is needed “across” Canada’s entire criminal justice system.

“There is a time now for real conversation about reform that is meaningful to help ensure the safety of our communities, particularly as it relates to gun violence.”

‘They maintain their hope’

Chow said that she was encouraged by the community’s resilience in the wake of the shooting, and said residents at the meeting put forward ideas to protect their youth and safeguard the neighbourhood.

“What’s encouraging is they maintain their hope that things can change…And they gave us some very concrete things that we can do, one of which is a space, an accessible, safe space for young people to gather, for community to gather. Surely we could do that,” she said.

Chow said that the timing of Tuesday night’s shooting was ironic, given that the city had announced its Summer Safety Plan, which provides programming for young people following last year’s rise in gun violence, earlier that morning.

The mayor said she and Demkiw will return to Lawrence Heights later this month as some residents were “too traumatized” to attend the community safety meeting on Thursday.