The Toronto man accused in a deadly shooting near Yorkdale mall earlier this month made a brief court appearance on Wednesday.
Tyrel Gibson is charged with one count of first-degree murder after he boarded a GO bus near the busy North York shopping centre at 7 p.m. on Jan. 4 and allegedly shot and killed 46-year-old Osemwengie Irorere of Nigeria.
Police said 40-year-old Gibson fled the scene on foot but was arrested shortly after. They haven’t said what may have motivated the shooting.
Court documents obtained by CTV News show that Gibson has a lengthy criminal record that stretches back to at least 2013.
Within that time, he has faced nearly two dozen charges, including attempted murder on two different occasions.
Gibson pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, using a firearm, possession of a firearm with ammunition and possession of an unauthorized firearm in 2015. He was given a lifetime weapon prohibition order.
Two years later, Gibson was sentenced to eight years in prison. It’s unclear how much time he served.
Gibson appeared in court via video link on Wednesday and was seen wearing prison-issued orange clothing.
He’s due back in court on Feb. 4.
With files from Codi Wilson and Bryann Aguilar
