A 19-year-old man from Edmonton, Alta. is one of two suspects wanted on first-degree murder charges in connection with deadly daylight shootings in the Greater Toronto Area.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Toronto and York Region police revealed new details about the pair of shootings which occurred in Vaughan and Rexdale earlier this year.
The first took place just after 1 p.m. on Jan. 26 at a commercial plaza near Winges and Rowntree Dairy roads, south of Highway 7 and Highway 400.
There, police found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to hospital, where he died.
Investigators previously identified the victim as 65-year-old Richmond Hill resident Sergio Lopes. Det. Sgt. Jonathan Nauman of York Regional police said Lopes was exiting his own business when he was shot.
“His loss was deeply felt,” Nauman said of Lopes, who he described as a father and husband. A vehicle seen fleeing the scene of the shooting was later located on fire on Kipling Avenue, north of Woodbridge Avenue.
The second shooting happened at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 in the Woodbine Shopping Centre parking lot near Rexdale Boulevard and Highway 27.
In that case, police said 37-year-old Brampton resident Chandan Kumar Raja Nandakumar was found at the scene with gunshot wounds. He was sitting alone in his vehicle when he was shot multiple times. He died in hospital.
Toronto Police Det. Sgt. Sandra Arruda described Nandakumar’s killing as “absolutely brazen.”
“Mr. Raja Nandakumar was a respected member of his community. He maintained strong connections with others in the GTA, particularly those of the same region of India. Those who knew him described him as kind, generous, and always willing to help others,” she said.
Isaiah Thomas Badger was identified as a suspect in both shootings. He’s wanted on two charges of first-degree murder.
Arruda said Badger is also wanted by Edmonton police on undisclosed weapons charges.
‘We’re coming for you’
A second 19-year-old suspect, identified as Mississauga resident Jacob Wallace, is also wanted for first-degree murder in connection with the shooting of Lopes. Police allege that Wallace drove the getaway car from the site of the burned-out vehicle found on Kipling Avenue.
While a Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for Badger by police in Toronto, Nauman said his force is also seeking Canada-wide warrants for both suspects.
Police believe Badger and Wallace are still in the Greater Toronto Area. Arruda delivered a message to them directly at Tuesday’s news conference.
“To Mr. Badger and Mr. Wallace: We’re coming for you. Turn yourselves in. Hire a lawyer.”
Motive unclear
Investigators are still working to determine a motive in the two shootings and said the only thing linking them at this point is that Badger is a suspect in both.
The two shootings are believed to be targeted, and police underscored that neither victim was involved in any criminal activity in the lead up to their deaths.
Police released an image of Nandakumar, but not Lopes, at the news conference.
One additional suspect yet to be identified: police
After the shooting of Nandakumar, Arruda alleged, Badger drove a stolen vehicle to the Claireville Conservation Area in Brampton and set the car on fire. Someone then picked him up from the site but that person has not been identified.
“I do not have an identification on that person nor a description, but I’ll say this: this investigation is continuing. I will identify who that person was and we will lay the appropriate charges where the evidence leads us,” Arruda said.
