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Toronto police Chief Bill Blair says two people died and at least 19 others were wounded in a shooting that occurred at a block party in the city’s east end on Monday night.
Speaking to reporters hours after the shooting, a visibly shaken Blair confirmed that a teenage girl and a young adult male had been killed in the violence.
An infant was also wounded in the shooting, though the police chief said the child’s injuries were not life threatening. He said most of the remaining injured appeared to be adults.
Blair said one of the injured was a "person of interest" and had been taken into custody. More than one gun was used in the incident and one weapon was found at the scene.
"Tonight’s event is shocking to every Torontonian, it will be shocking to all of Canada because of the number of the people injured. The level of violence is something we have never experienced," Blair said, adding that the homicide squad, intelligence unit, as well as the guns and gangs unit were already involved in the investigation.
Blair said that police are still gathering information about the incident, which took place before 11 p.m. ET on Danzig Street, near Morningside Avenue and Lawrence Avenue East.
Police believe that more than 200 people attended the party.
“This is an area of the city that has never experienced this level of violence before,” Blair said.
Blair said the number of victims could still rise, if more come forward in the hours ahead.
First Eaton Centre shootings and now this. I really hope that's the end of it for this year when it comes to multiple shooting victims in a single incident.
If you think this will register with 99% of the people on this board you are wrong.
They will surely spin it and say "Well, well, in Chicago theres tons of people murdered" or "At least it isn't as bad as the States"
Like any of that brings comfort to the people who lost family member or were wounded themselves. I personally think this is terrible and something needs to be done to address these issues.
Just keep in mind what Toronto Police Chief Blair said “I’ve been a cop for 35 years and this is the worst incident of gun violence in my memory anywhere in North America,” That should make everyone think and admit there may be a problem.
But one should also remember that Chicago and Detroit were not always the way they are. That's why it is important to nip this trend in the bud while it's still time. It would be really depressing if Canada's cities repeated the tragic mistakes of many U.S. cities, especially when you consider that they have the benefit of looking across the border and learning from the mistakes and smart moves made over there.
But one should also remember that Chicago and Detroit were not always the way they are. That's why it is important to nip this trend in the bud while it's still time. It would be really depressing if Canada's cities repeated the tragic mistakes of many U.S. cities, especially when you consider that they have the benefit of looking across the border and learning from the mistakes and smart moves made over there.
Its really tough to compare since the history of American cities is very different from Toronto. Keep in mind as well that crime in Detroit actually hit its peak in the 1970's, not the 90's when everyone seems to think.
Not saying that lessons cannot be learned, because the underlying systemic reasons for this violence are similar, but history has to be taken into account here too when making a comparison.
Also why is the knee jerk reaction to always focus on US Cities. Keep in mind that places like Thunder Bay, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Regina all have higher murder rates than places like Mesa, Seattle, Honolulu, Virginia Beach, El Paso, Portland to name a few, but I don't see those cities residents saying "Lets learn from what they are doing wrong in Canada".
Last edited by edwardsyzzurphands; 07-17-2012 at 07:36 PM..
Its really tough to compare since the history of American cities is very different from Toronto. Keep in mind as well that crime in Detroit actually hit its peak in the 1970's, not the 90's when everyone seems to think.
Not saying that lessons cannot be learned, because the underlying systemic reasons for this violence are similar, but history has to be taken into account here too when making a comparison.
Also why is the knee jerk reaction to always focus on US Cities. Keep in mind that places like Thunder Bay, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Regina all have higher murder rates than places like Mesa, Seattle, Honolulu, Virginia Beach, El Paso, Portland to name a few, but I don't see those cities residents saying "Lets learn from what they are doing wrong in Canada".
In my case at least, it's not so much a knee-jerk or finger pointing as it is a recognition that the U.S. often goes through societal evolutions (not just talking about violent crime), both positive and negative, before Canada does mainly because it is a larger and more historically mature society. I have always thought this was an opportunity for Canada to learn from the Americans' successes and failures, but generally Canada has not done this, and its successes on this front at least are hit and miss and the Americans' glaring mistakes are often repeated north of the border.
Not sure if I am expressing myself clearly here...
In my case at least, it's not so much a knee-jerk or finger pointing as it is a recognition that the U.S. often goes through societal evolutions (not just talking about violent crime), both positive and negative, before Canada does mainly because it is a larger and more historically mature society. I have always thought this was an opportunity for Canada to learn from the Americans' successes and failures, but generally Canada has not done this, and its successes on this front at least are hit and miss and the Americans' glaring mistakes are often repeated north of the border.
Not sure if I am expressing myself clearly here...
Crystal clear actually, I get the gist of what you are saying. There is definitely value in looking to other cities for examples, that is why you have Mayor and Police Chief conferences where they can exchange data and advice in dealing with similar issues. No arguments from me on that front.
The danger that many run into though is allowing comparisons to cloud all reasonable thinking to a point that you can't see any room for improvement because another city is worse off.
Many Torontonians run into this problem, even at the political level. Look at Mayor Fords comments after this shooting? Toronto is safe, we have to move on, blah blah. How on earth is that helping the victims, their family and residents who have to live in that neighborhood? Who cares what is going on in Detroit tonight, your city just had 21 people wounded in ONE incident, that is more than enough reason to concentrate on your own problems not those of others.
But one should also remember that Chicago and Detroit were not always the way they are. That's why it is important to nip this trend in the bud while it's still time. It would be really depressing if Canada's cities repeated the tragic mistakes of many U.S. cities, especially when you consider that they have the benefit of looking across the border and learning from the mistakes and smart moves made over there.
What smart moves?
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