Man killed at Scarborough barbecue dreamed of becoming a police officer

An innocent bystander shot dead at a Scarborough barbecue on Monday dreamed of becoming a police officer, his family told CityNews.

Joshua Yasay, 23, had recently graduated from the criminology program at York University and co-owned an Ajax barbershop. He was also working as a security guard at a bank.

He wanted to pay off his student loans before pursuing a master’s degree in criminology and attending police college.

Yasay and 14-year-old Shyanne Charles were killed and 23 others were wounded after gunfire broke out on Danzig Street, near Mornignside and Lawrence avenues, on Monday.

“Josh was a quiet person. He was very funny,” Michael Allicock, a co-owner of Goodfellas barbershop, told CityNews.

“He was very caring, very giving. He was a positive person who didn’t look to harm anyone. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

In his last message on Twitter, Yasay welcomed basketball player Landry Fields to the Toronto Raptors, saying Toronto was a “city like no other.”

Other Tweets on his feed mentioned attending church on Sundays and promoted discounted haircuts for children at his barbershop.

He also featured photos of some of his unique haircuts.

Yasay’s family was too distraught to appear on camera, but Yasay’s sister said she wanted people to know her brother believed in justice.

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