‘Really scary’: Whitby residents endure second night of gunfire as police probe possible link

For the second straight night, homes in Whitby were riddled with bullets as residents were subjected to the sound of gunfire, leading to police officers trying to determine if there could be a link.

Audio shared by the Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) captures the barrage of gunfire. Two homes in the Brock Street and the area of Highway 407 were hit as families, including children, were asleep inside.

One house, in particular, was riddled with bullets.

“Officers on scene located two different calibres of shell casings, which leads us to believe two different guns were used,” said DRPS Const. Nicholas Gluckstein.

A woman and her husband told CityNews the pair were jolted by the sound of gunfire just after 1 a.m. on Thursday. She said it was so loud they thought something had collapsed in their basement. Ten minutes later, they heard sirens blaring.

“When we looked down, there were pylons marked down there,” she said. “We could see police going door to door with their flashlights. It was really scary. We couldn’t sleep after that.”

DRPS Police Chief Peter Moreira commented on the Whitby shooting incidents, saying the police force is “committed to dedicating more resources [aimed at] preventing and investigating gun-related crimes.”

“Each illegal gun we take off the streets prevents untold numbers of shootings and victimization. If you know where illegal guns are located, call DRPS or Crime Stoppers.”

Durham Region plagued by recent shooting incidents

These incidents happened after a townhouse complex in Oshawa – just a 20-minute drive away – was the subject of a shooting the night before. DRPS said residents were home at the time of the shooting, and the bullets entered their residences, “severely compromising their safety.”

Officers located a bullet in a child’s bedroom beneath their bed. Police said the child was not home at the time. No injuries were reported.

“Whether there are any connections, I can’t say for sure,” said Gluckstein. “These are things we’re always looking at. Indiscriminately shooting at residents is a common factor, and unfortunately, this has happened frequently in the past week.” 

DRPS officers are now investigating six shootings this week. In one case, a business was targeted; in the other incidents, shots were fired at homes. 

“We do have the common element of these happening in the evening,” added Gluckstein. “It is not our belief that they’re all connected, but as investigations unfold, we will look for connections between any of these shootings.”

Police say they need the public’s assistance to solve these cases. Investigators are looking for dash cam footage or security video that may have captured the shootings, suspect vehicles or suspicious behaviour leading up to them.