Boy, 14, charged in Etobicoke mass shooting that killed 2 men

Toronto Police have charged a 14-year-old boy in connection to a mass shooting in Etobicoke that claimed the lives of two men, and left others injured.

The boy, who can’t be named because he’s a youth, is facing two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder, police confirmed on Monday.

Investigators say five people were found shot in the Mount Olive Drive and Kipling Avenue area near North Albion Collegiate Institute at approximately 11 p.m. on Sunday, June 2, after two people jumped out of a dark pickup truck and opened fire.

The victims were transported to a local hospital where Delroy “George” Parkes, 61, was pronounced dead. A second man, Seymour Gibbs, 46, died a few days later in hospital.

One of the men who survived has life-altering injuries and two others suffered injuries, but are “doing ok,” according to police.

Police confirm there was no known connection between the suspect and victims.

Police say the youth was originally arrested in connection with a stolen vehicle investigation after a truck crashed into a parked car in the same area.

The driver attempted to flee but was arrested by police after a short foot pursuit. It was later determined that the youth was allegedly one of the suspects involved in the shooting.

Part of the collision and foot pursuit was caught on nearby security cameras. Superintendent Ron Taverner said they could not comment on whether the vehicle was stolen prior to or after the mass shooting.

“We can’t get into the the evidentiary value of what’s taking place to this point, there’s certain things that will will play out in the courts, and other areas,” said Taverner.

At least one more suspect remains at large, police say.

Det. Sgt. Phillip Campbell urged anyone with information about the suspects to come forward to Toronto police or Crime Stoppers.

“We know you do not want these senseless acts to events taking place in your city where innocent people are living,” said Sgt. Campbell. “I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the seriousness of being an accessory to murder after the fact.”

Campbell said it is too early in the investigation to determine a motive at this point. “Hopefully our investigation determines that answer. But, right now, I don’t know.”

“This is an incredibly unbelievable act that took place on June 2 and innocent people lost their lives. Many were shot. Many were shot at …. This case is far from over” said Taverner.

He added the fact that a 14-year-old is involved in a shooting like this was “unbelievable.”

“There’s a lot of questions here that need to be answered. And this isn’t something that we can answer right here. This is a societal issue. We as a community, as a province, as a country need to be dealing with,” said Taverner.

Police said the victims were socializing after playing soccer together when they were shot at.

“From what I understand, it’s just a group of men gathering after playing soccer in the afternoon,” Campbell said at the time. “Just socializing, enjoying the fresh air. We think maybe there were 15 to 20 people (at the scene at the time).”

Gibbs, a father of six who played on the North Kipling Soccer team, died after he was shot in the legs several times and underwent a surgery.

“I just can’t believe [it], we talked last night,” Gibbs’ mother-in-law told CityNews at the time, adding he was talking and laughing the day prior to his surgery. “He was just an innocent guy, and they [took] him away.”

“I hope they catch those guys before they take an innocent life again.”

“My dad was the best person ever,” said Parkes’ daughter in an interview with CityNews. “He was a beautiful human being. He was kind and genuine. He was a man of faith.”

“He was loved by everybody. Everybody called him Uncle George because he was an uncle, a father, a friend to everyone,” she said.

“If he had a dollar in his pocket and you were hungry, he would give you that dollar. They were all hard-working men. Fathers, grandfathers, husbands. They all woke up every day, went to work, went home, ate dinner with their families and then came out to play soccer.”

With files from Lucas Casaletto and Meredith Bond