16-year-old boy dead after shooting in east-end Toronto early Monday

Toronto police officers say a 16-year-old boy has died after a shooting at an east-end property early Monday.

Officers said in a statement Monday afternoon that the incident happened in a home near Warden Avenue and Cataraqui Crescent, south of St. Clair Avenue East, at around 1 a.m.

The update said the boy, identified as Jamal Abdinasir, was taken to a hospital by paramedics with life-threatening injuries, but he was pronounced dead after arriving.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting weren’t immediately clear.

CityNews spoke with a neighbour named Daniel, who didn’t want to share his last name. He said he and his family knew Jamal, adding it feels like they have lost someone special to them.

“He was always respectful. He was always kind to me. He called me uncle,” Daniel said.

“This is a nice neighbourhood. It’s full of families. You see in the summertime kids out playing. It’s like a regular neighbourhood.

“Even the older guys, they hang out here sometimes and they’re respectful. They help with groceries. Jamal, if he was here (and I said), ‘I need groceries help,’ he’d come help.”

After describing how he fought back tears earlier, Daniel shared this message.

“As a parent, it’s really sad because I have kids too. This is very tragic. If this ever happened to me, I know how I’d feel,” he said.

“Gun violence has to stop. You have to value human life … I hope the people of Toronto can make peace.”

Meanwhile, Toronto police investigators said a suspect took off from the scene, but they didn’t release further information about the person being sought.

With files from Afua Baah

HOMICIDE:
Cataraqui Cres + Warden Av
1:02 a.m.
– Police responded to reports of a shooting at a residential address
– A male youth was shot
– Medics transported him to hospital w/life-threatening injuries
– He was pronounced deceased at hospital#GO1141964
^lb

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) May 27, 2024