18-year-old seriously injured in North York shooting

An 18-year-old male was seriously injured in a shooting with several rounds of gunfire exchanged in North York on Thursday night.

Toronto Police Service (TPS) officers were called to Chalkfarm Drive and Jane Street near Wilson Avenue just after 11 p.m. for reports of gunshots heard in the area.

Authorities located one male victim, later confirmed to be an 18-year-old, who had been shot. TPS tells CityNews he suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Officers said the driver of a light-coloured vehicle was seen fleeing the area at the time of the shooting.

Many residents heard the barrage of bullets being fired in a gun battle that broke out at the high-rise building with at least 40 shots fired through the lobby windows, hitting the elevator, a maintenance door next to the entrance, some parked cars and even piercing a window up on the third floor.

“It must have been some gunshots or something it had to be it sounded like machine guns or something to me,” one resident told CityNews.

It appears shots were being fired from the parking lot and from inside the lobby. Police seized at least one weapon from the building lobby.

“You don’t know what’s going to take place after so you have to be scared for your life and your grandkids and their life that’s what you have to be scared for,” said Cristina Ryan, who lives at the building with her six young grandchildren and was one of many residents expressing fear and anger over the shooting.

Residents and delivery drivers claim the violence is connected to a group of young men who are not from the building but loiter outside the highrise, stealing delivery food and packages and intimidating people going in and out of the building.

“At times we are scared to come home because all this area would be filled with them – masks with a black hoodie,” explained one resident. “I tell security that you guys should do something because you guys are not safe and us the tenants are not safe as well.”

While residents say their complaints are being ignored the landlord sent a letter out saying, “Management is working closely with Toronto police to aid in their investigation of the matter. Please know the safety of our residents is our top priority.”