Downtown Shooting Caught On Tape
Posted December 31, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A 15-year-old boy walked into a downtown hospital early Saturday with a gunshot wound to the leg about two hours after a shooting outside the Sam the Record Man store on Yonge around 5:30am.
The cameras installed along the popular shopping strip recorded the incident and that footage is helping investigators track down a suspect.
“Just the simple fact that we have (Saturday’s) shooting on tape makes it obvious why these cameras are so useful to police,” Toronto Police Staff-Sgt. Stan Belza said.
“It’s just a trial thing for now, but since it seems to be a really useful tool, who knows what the (police) service will decide?” Belza said. “It’s up to the organization to decide if they want to put them in other places.”
The cameras were installed at three points on Yonge Street to deter criminal activity during the busy shopping season. The devices were put up on Dec. 18 and will remain in place until at least Jan. 7.
Saturday’s shooting happened just metres away from where Creba was fatally shot while out shopping on Boxing Day last year. Local business owners urged police to install the cameras, fearing a repeat of that tragedy.
“Those cameras are already proving to be a highly effective crime-solving tool,” said Belza.
“We realize there is a privacy issue associated with them, but notices have been put out, people know that they’re there. I think that since they’re for the greater good and they’re doing good, those cameras are definitely useful.”
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