Police say suspects among 3 dead in shooting at CityPlace Airbnb

Police say shooting took place during a social gathering at a rented Airbnb. As Adrian Ghobrial reports police are not looking for any outstanding suspects as the shooters are among the three men killed.

By News Staff

Three people were killed and two others injured following a late night shooting at an Airbnb in the CityPlace neighbourhood.

Police responded to reports of multiple shots fired at 85 Queen’s Wharf Road near the area of Bathurst Street and Fort York Boulevard around 10:30 p.m.

The shooting occurred at a social gathering at a rented Airbnb on the 32nd floor of the building.

Two men were pronounced dead at the scene while a third was taken to hospital where he later died of his injuries.

Police have identified the victims as Jalen Colley 21, of Brampton, Joshua Gibson-Skeir 20, also of Brampton and Tyronne Noseworthy 19, of Toronto.

Police say through forensics and interviews with witnesses, investigators have determined that only Colley and Noseworthy are the 7th and 8th homicides of the year in Toronto.

One other person suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries while a fifth victim, who was not shot, was treated for minor injuries and released.

Late Saturday, police confirmed the shooting took place inside the unit and spilled out into the hallway. Investigators add they have recovered two firearms from the scene.

Police also confirm they are not looking for any outstanding suspects as the shooters are among the three men killed in the incident.

Acting Det. Sgt. Henri Marsman would not comment if any of the victims were known to police.

Marsman said resident have been allowed to return to their units, other than those the 32nd floor where the incident occurred.

“Right now three people have lost their lives and we’re doing everything we can to make sure we get a fullsome story and account for why this happened,” said police chief Mark Saunders.

Any witnesses are urged to contact police.

In a letter to residents, Elite Property Management, who manage 85 Queen’s Wharf, said they would be banning any rental shorter than three months following the shooting. They had previously allowed Airbnbs in the building.

It also states they have been told there is no threat to public safety and “it is believed this was a targeted and isolated incident.”

Mayor John Tory said the city’s community crisis response program has been “mobilized to support the neighbourhood in the wake of this tragic incident,” add the shooting is “completely unacceptable.”

Airbnb said they have banned the booking guest from their platform and say they are in close coordination with Toronto police to “offer our full support of their investigation into this senseless gun violence.”

They also said while the Airbnb listing had formally banned parties, it has been suspended pending a further investigation. No previous safety incidents have been reported at the listing.

“We are in close co-ordination with Toronto Police Services to offer our full support of their investigation into this senseless gun violence,” Lindsey Scully said in an emailed statement. “We have zero tolerance for this type of behaviour, and we ban both party houses and unauthorized parties on our platform.”

Late last year, Airbnb announced a ban on so-called “party houses” after five people were killed at a Halloween Party at a rental in Orinda, Calif., that was listed on their site. The ban prohibited “open-invite” parties in which organizers open up the home to anyone who wants to attend, for instance by advertising on social media.

The company also said it was banning “large parties and events” in Airbnb listings in multi-family residences such as apartments and condos.

This is not the first shooting at an Airbnb-based party in Toronto. A Humber College student filed a lawsuit against the company after he was shot in the pelvis while attending an “Airbnb mansion party” last April that was advertised online.

He said Airbnb should have known that minimally furnished rental properties were commonly used for parties and events where violence occurred. For its part, the company said it had removed the person who booked the house from its platform.

In Ottawa, police were investigating a shooting at an Airbnb in the city’s downtown area just last month. That incident left an 18-year-old dead and injured three others.


With files from The Canadian Press

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