Police have identified four suspects accused of wounding several people during a daylight shooting outside an apartment complex in the Jane and Finch area Thursday evening.
According to police, suspects opened fire on a group of people who were standing outside a Driftwood Avenue townhouse shortly before 6 p.m.
Three male victims were taken to a trauma centre, one with life-threatening injuries. Two other patients, one male and one female, suffered gunshot wounds to the leg, police say.
One of the victims, who returned to his Driftwood Avenue residence on Friday afternoon, told CP24 that the incident "happened so fast."
"It's just a lot of pain," the man said when asked about the bullet wound in his knee.
Shortly after gunfire erupted on Driftwood Avenue Thursday night, police say officers located four suspects in a vehicle on Elmhurst Drive, near Islington Avenue and Albion Road.
At one point, the suspects fled from the vehicle and a chase ensued.
Glenn Howell, who lives at the residence where the police takedown occurred, said his family had just finished a barbeque when they saw a vehicle coming up their driveway.
"We heard loud bangs. (The vehicle) hit our car, which knocked our car into the wall," he said.
"Then we saw people running around with guns."
All four suspects were subsequently taken into custody.
According to investigators, one of the suspects was shot by police during the arrest. The 20-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is in stable condition.
The Special Investigations Unit, an arms-length agency that investigates any incident where police are involved in death or serious injury, has been called in to probe the officer-involved shooting.
Police say 25-year-old Akeem Bailey, of Toronto, 29-year-old Clifton Vassel Youria, of Toronto, 21-year-old Maurice Smith, of Toronto, and 20-year-old Daniel Duarte-Alvarez, of Mississauga, are facing a combined 112 charges in connection with the shooting. The charges include attempted murder, discharging a firearm with intent to wound and endanger life, and unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Toronto police Sgt. Steve Hicks, who was the first officer to arrive at 404 Driftwood Ave. when the shooting broke out, said the consequences could have been even more devastating.
"When we arrived, there were a lot of kids here, " Hicks told CP24 Thursday night.
"We know a lot of the children in the area so we're aware of what's going on and the potential that there could have been a lot more victims and a lot more damage in the neighbourhood for sure."
The Toronto police sergeant, who was running a youth program in the area, managed to arrive at the scene quickly enough to perform potentially life-saving CPR on one of the victims who was found without vital signs.
Speaking to reporters outside city hall Friday, Mayor John Tory said that while yesterday's events were traumatic, he is "heartened" to hear how connected officers are to residents in that community.
“Knowing the kids and the people in this neighbourhood is key and these events should cause us to redouble our efforts to have a positive police presence in those neighbourhoods," he said.
Tory said the city stands with the "law-abiding, hard-working people" who live in the Jane and Finch community.
"As mayor, I can tell you right now I will not for a minute tolerate lawlessness and complete disregard for human life, which is what we saw yesterday," he added.
Coun. Anthony Perruzza, who represents the Jane and Finch community, was at the scene Friday morning, meeting with residents in the neighbourhood.
"My interest here is just simply to talk to some of the residents to see what supports and what help we may be able to provide in getting them through this crisis," he said.
Police and community members held a neighbourhood walkabout on Driftwood Avenue Friday night to try to assist residents who have been traumatized by last night's shooting.
“We have a whole community that has been victimized and what you are seeing today really is a communal response, not just the police. You see members of the community coming in to send some clear messages to the residents of Driftwood,” 31 Division Supt. Tony Riviere told reporters Friday evening.
“We want to send a message that that level of violence is not acceptable.”
