Shootings & Gun Violence Have Risen Dramatically This Fall

We thought the ‘infamous 2005 summer of the gun’ was long behind us, but gun violence is once again rearing its ugly head with a spate of shootings this fall that has already claimed several young lives.

According to a recent report, the situation has gotten so bad since Sept. 1 that on average, someone has been shot every 31 hours in Toronto.

Last year’s scourge of gun violence, which was capped off by the fatal shooting of Jane Creba, an innocent teen who was hit by a stray bullet in a gang shootout on Boxing Day while shopping in the Yonge-Dundas area, was largely the result of gang wars, police say.

This fall’s spate of shootings is a different beast, according to police, fuelled by drug deals gone bad and personal beefs between members of the same street gangs.

In 2005 there were 202 shootings with 278 victims. Unfortunately we’re on our way to meeting that grim target this year with 165 shootings on the books with 220 victims.

“We were sitting there watching TV, my daughter and I, and all of a sudden we heard a bang and then we heard another bang. And my daughter said, ‘Oh, my God, that’s gunshot,” a woman who only wanted to be identified as Mary said of a shooting in her Don Mills and Eglinton neighourhood on Sept. 11 in which a man was shot in the face.

“When I was growing up you solved your problems with your fists. Not with guns and gangs.”


Here’s a look at some of the major shootings that have occurred over the past few months:

Sept. 14: Shots rang out in front of an apartment on Silver Springs Boulevard, in the Finch and Birchmount area, around 10:30pm fatally wounding 33-year-old Aaron “TJ” Johnston. Three to five suspects were seen running from the scene after the shooting. Police are still searching for the triggermen.

Sept. 17: Christopher White, 35, is shot to death at a Parkdale apartment. Police are still searching for a suspect.

Sept. 22: A 27-year-old man is shot in the head in the Lawrence Avenue and Bellamy Road area. Police say the suspect pulled out a handgun during an argument. Police are still searching for suspects.

Sept. 25: A 31-year-old man was shot in the back around 1am on Fountainhead Road, in the Finch and Sentinel area.  Police are still searching for suspects.

Sept. 25: Police were called to the Islington and Steeles area for reports of gunshots just after 10:30pm. When they arrived they found 22-year-old Lemar Jackson suffering from gunshot wounds. He was in a car that had apparently slammed into a tree. The victim later died in hospital. Police are still searching for suspects.

Oct. 4: Police are called to The East Mall and Bloor Street for a shooting. They find two young men suffering from non life-threatening gunshot wounds. Authorities are still searching for suspects.

Oct. 7: Two men are shot outside a nightclub on the Danforth near Logan.

Oct. 9: 20-year-old Kareme Parks was shot in the back of the head and killed on Sunrise Avenue, in the Victoria Park and O’Connor area. Another man was also injured in the shooting. Police are still searching for suspects.

Oct. 10: A 34-year-old woman was shot in the face at a doughnut shop on Don Mills Road. Police allege the man who shot the woman also pulled the trigger when he was confronted by a security guard at a different location shortly after, but the gun didn’t fire. A 17-year-old male has been charged with two counts of attempted murder.

Oct. 11: Two men were shot outside the Scarborough Town Centre around 6pm. Police are still searching for suspects.

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