Cops Have Gun But Not Triggerman In TTC Shooting
Posted January 24, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
They have the weapon, now they’re looking for the person who pulled the trigger.
Toronto police have recovered the gun used two years ago to shoot a T.T.C. driver and take his eyesight. The frightening incident took place on October 15, 2005 , when Jamie Pereira was shot three times in the face after he stopped to break up a fight while driving his route along Sewells and Morningside Ave. The incident temporarily blinded the father of two and the sight in one eye has never returned.
But the injustice was compounded because police never made any arrests in the case and were unable to bring the shooter to justice. Now, more than two years later, a huge break in the case emerged and cops revealed it on Thursday – they finally had the gun that was used in the brazen shooting. It’s a .9 millimetre pistol and it was recovered as part of another investigation. Forensic tests were able to link the weapon to the old crime.
“I don’t understand how someone could be so evil to shoot someone else in the face,” Pereira said. “I mean, total disregard for my life. I didn’t do anything to him. I didn’t say anything to him. All I did was open the door.”
“I was just there to give them a ride. That was my job.”
Police were outraged by the crime, and maintain they are still in hot pursuit of the suspect.
“This is a Good Samaritan. This person stopped. He didn’t have to stop. He chose to stop,” reminds Det. Mike Barski. “And because of that, I would hope that that pulls on the heartstrings of people in the community to say this is wrong. So I would hope that that does call upon people to come forward.”
“His vision is still gone,” Barski adds. “He can’t drive. He won’t be able to drive ever, but he’s a stellar gentleman, and he still has good spirits, and that has a great deal to do with keeping us motivated.”
Barski is hoping those involved in the fight that led to the shooting will contact cops so they can add a few missing pieces to the perilous puzzle.
Police aren’t saying how they came into possession of the weapon, but they have added reasons to want the person who wielded it caught. They’ve been able to link it to a number of other crimes across the GTA. They apparently have a person of interest in mind, but need extra evidence before they can make their case.
“We have had a number of people from the community come forward to great benefit to the investigation. A number of persons of interest have been developed, of which we are looking at in efforts to sort out exactly who was the person who pulled the trigger.”
If you have any information about the gun or the person who squeezed that trigger, call 43 Division at (416) 808-7422. An online video of the press conference is also available on YouTube here.
The plea comes just days after a report indicated many TTC drivers are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the abuse they suffer on a daily basis.
