1 person dead, another injured in ‘street gang-related’ shooting in East York

A 29-year-old man, described by a family member as a father to a four-year-old girl, is dead and a second person has been injured in what police are calling a ‘street gang-related’ shooting in East York.

Police said they responded to numerous 9-1-1 calls about a shooting on Wakunda Place off of O’Connor Drive and west of Victoria Park Avenue around 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

Police arrived to find one person fatally wounded while another victim was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The victim was later identified by police as Kevin Reddick of Toronto.

“Based on our initial investigation so far, we can say that this is a street gang-related shooting and we believe that the two individuals who were shot here today were targeted,” said Insp. Jim Gotell.

The shooting came hours after police chief Mark Saunders addressed the recent spate of shootings in the city. Seventeen people were injured in 14 separate shootings across Toronto over the August long weekend.

Police said the two victims were sitting in a nearby parkette having lunch when they were approached by two suspects, who then began shooting.

The suspects, who were wearing dark clothing, were last seen fleeing northbound on Victoria Park in a dark coloured vehicle.

Investigators also found an abandoned vehicle on fire in Vaughan and seized it for forensic examination in this incident.

Police say they are confident they will catch up with the suspects given the number of surveillance cameras in the area but they acknowledge the concern of area residents.

“Very frustrating for the residents here but I can assure the members of this community that it is a safe community,” said Det. Sgt. Ted Lioumanis. “But at the end of the day we still need members of the community to come forward and assist us in these investigations.”

While police are asking for anyone with information to come forward, one area resident says it is a scene that has become all too familiar in the neighbourhood.

“I’ve been to probably 30 funerals here of either people being murdered or overdosing and it’s not getting any better,” said Veronica Roe, who adds people in the neighbourhood are afraid to speak up for fear of retaliation.

“They’re afraid of the retaliation. You speak out, there’s retaliation for it. Your windows get smashed, your door gets kicked in, you get assaulted, you get beat up, you get stabbed, you get shot – it doesn’t end. …I’m tired of having to pick mothers up off the ground.”