2 teen boys charged with murder in Toronto’s tow truck war

The Toronto Police Service (TPS) has charged two youths with first-degree murder in an investigation linking them to as many as 11 shootings related to tow truck crimes, with eight of them occurring over the Canada Day long weekend.

TPS Chief Myron Demkiw, along with Staff Superintendent Joe Matthews and Staff Superintendent Kelly Skinner, unveiled the results of Project Beacon, a tow truck task force, at an 11 a.m. press conference.

Investigators said four people were arrested, and 177 charges have been laid in connection with one homicide and 13 tow truck-related shootings linked to separate incidents that took place between May and July.

TPS officers were called to the Warden Avenue and Ellesmere Road area on July 6 for reports of a shooting. A 28-year-old man, later identified as Sulakshan Selvasingam of Pickering, was located with gunshot wounds and died in a local hospital.

Two male youths, aged 15 and 16, from Oshawa and Stouffville, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. On Wednesday, TPS officers said the two teens are believed to be responsible for 11 additional shooting incidents between June 29 and July 14, with eight of these shootings taking place over the Canada Day long weekend.

As a result of the investigation, the two accused face an additional 154 charges, including 11 counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and 12 counts of possessing a firearm without a licence, among other offences.

The boys were not identified by means of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA).

“We have taken a dynamic, service-wide approach to the troubling rise in gun crime, and we believe 14 per cent of all firearm discharges and shooting events in our city are connected to an ongoing territory dispute involving a small segment of the tow truck industry,” said Chief Demkiw.

Others arrested as part of Project Beacon

In May, TPS officers were called to a plaza parking lot near Steeles Avenue East and Markham Road in Scarborough for reports of shots fired in the area.

At the time, police said an occupant in a dark-coloured vehicle fired shots at the two tow trucks. Shell casings and bullet holes in the tow trucks were located, and the suspect vehicle has also been found abandoned. No injuries were reported.

---

On Wednesday, investigators said the suspect in this shooting, confirmed to be a 17-year-old male youth, was being paid to commit the crime by a second person.

That male youth, who was not identified through the YCJA, is facing numerous charges, including discharging a firearm with the intent to wound, endanger life or prevent arrest, among other related offences. Jamal Sayed Waizi, 33, of Oshawa, Ont., was also arrested and charged.

Since Jan. 1, there have been 43 tow truck-related shootings and discharges in the city, TPS said.

Last month, Demkiw pledged to address tow-truck-related gun violence after more than half a dozen incidents in 48 hours over the Canada Day long weekend in the city’s east end that investigators later connected to conflicts within the tow truck industry.

News of the investigation came just days after TPS announced the formation of its tow truck task force.

At the time, authorities said there had been an alarming increase in violence connected to the tow truck industry, noting there has been a 74 per cent year-over-year increase in shootings and firearm discharges. In most of those instances, there were no reports of physical injuries.