It’s been exactly 10 years since a deeply loved woman was fatally shot in broad daylight in east Toronto’s Riverdale neighbourhood.
On Aug. 27, 2016, at around 6:10 p.m., Peggy Ann Smith was sitting on the back porch of her daughter’s home on Munro Street, near Broadview Avenue and Dundas Street East, when gunshots rang out. She was struck by a stray bullet and died at the scene.
Nanny Peggy, as she was affectionately called, was 61.
Toronto police say the mother of three and grandmother of 13 was the innocent victim of a gang war between members of the former Don Mount Court and Regent Park communities. Her murder remains unsolved.
‘Senseless act of violence’
“Ten years ago, our family’s lives changed forever when our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, wife, aunt, and friend, Peggy Ann Smith, was taken from us in a senseless act of violence,” Smith’s family said in a written statement.
“August 27, 2016, is a day none of us will ever forget. What should have been an ordinary summer evening became a moment that changed our family forever.”
They went on to say that their loved one, a long-time east Toronto resident who was known to many in the community as Nan and Mom, “should have spent these past ten years continuing to love and care for her family,” celebrating “birthdays, holidays, graduations, new homes, new babies, and all the ordinary moments in between.”
‘We were robbed’ of making memories with her: family
“She should have met the great-grandchildren who have been born since her death, watched them grow, and showered them with the same love she gave to every one of us,” they wrote, describing Smith as the rock of her family, “the person who helped hold everything together.”
“There are so many memories we were robbed of making with her. … Ten years may sound like a long time to someone who has never experienced a loss like this, but time does not erase the person you lost. The world has continued moving, and we have had to continue moving with it, but we have had to do so with a heavy heart and with the absence of the person who was always there for us and who we loved so deeply."
They said she was always there for her daughters, a “best friend and who always wanted what was best for her kids,” and the “kind of grandmother who had a special relationship with each of her grandchildren.”
Smith is remembered by her heartbroken family as “one of the kindest, most loving and genuine people you could ever meet,” an “incredible giving and selfless” person who would do anything for anyone and always put others before herself.
“She never waited for someone to ask for help. If she saw that someone needed something, she was there. … She had a way of making people feel welcomed, cared for and like they were never alone. No matter what was happening in your life, being around Peggy somehow made you feel like everything was going to be okay,” they said.
“For many of us, Peggy was the person we turned to when life was difficult. She built us up when we doubted ourselves. She wanted to see the people she loved succeed, and she made sure we knew she believed in us.”
Smith, her family said, was also a woman of God who prayed for several people daily, and who was well-loved in the community and a good friend to many.
“Her faith wasn’t simply something she talked about; you saw it in the way she lived,” they shared.
‘Unanswered pain for an entire decade’
The woman’s relatives said what makes their grief even harder is knowing that those responsible for her death have never been held accountable.
“Her murder remains unsolved, and our family has had to carry that unanswered pain for an entire decade. It’s difficult to live with the fact that her life was cut short in the way it was. She didn’t deserve to leave us this way,” they said, sharing that this difficult milestone is marked with even more grief due to the recent death of Smith’s long-time husband, John.
“Ten years is a long time to live with questions that have never been answered. We want answers. We want accountability. Most importantly, we want justice for Peggy.”
Smith’s family is urging anyone who knows the person(s) responsible for the death of their loved one to “find the courage to come forward and give our family the answers we have been waiting for 10 years.”
Toronto police still investigating tips
Det. Sgt. Steve Smith, of Toronto police’s Cold Case Unit, said Peggy Ann Smith’s murder is one of the city’s most “horrific” homicide cases, compounded further by the fact that her killer has never been found.
“(Peggy’s murder) really hits at the heart,” he said, adding her murder would have likely been solved had it occurred today due to the prevalence of video footage and other technological advancements that are now available.
Nonetheless, the detective sergeant said they remain hopeful that there will be a break in this case, that someone with information may have had a “change in circumstance” in their life and will decide that now is the time to come forward.
“We know that there’s people in the community who know who did this. … These things don’t happen in a vacuum,” he said.
“We just need a name, anything that we can work with.”
Anonymous tips are also welcome, Smith added, noting informants won’t need to appear in court.
“We just want the information about who did this shooting, and we will follow up. … Once we know the offender’s name, it opens up a whole other host of options for us,” he said.
“We just need to know who in order to make those connections.”
Shortly after Smith’s murder, Toronto police released images of two male suspects, who are believed to have been firing gunshots towards a residence near where she was fatally shot.
Peggy Ann Smith’s murder is one of around 800 unsolved homicides in Toronto that the squad is investigating, said Smith, who urged anyone with information about any cold case to contact the authorities.
Laneway named in Smith’s honour
Local councillor Paula Fletcher said Smith’s murder devastated the community and shook the entire city.
In the days after her death, scores of people gathered in the neighbourhood to mourn and support one another.
The lane where Smith drew her last breath was also named in her honour almost a year later.
“Everybody knew Peggy, everybody knew the family, and nobody could believe (this happened.) The brazen nature of these guys running around shooting guns in that laneway,” the Toronto-Danforth representative said.
“It was just unbelievable for her to be killed in this crossfire. It was deeply shocking then and it is deeply shocking now. … Just even thinking about it is so chilling.”
Fletcher supported Smith’s shattered family in the aftermath of her death, among other things, helping them relocate from the area.
“The spoke of the wheel, the hub of their family, was taken out. … I’ll always be there for them,” she said, appealing to those who know who fatally shot Smith to contact the police.
“A completely innocent woman was killed, let’s have some justice. … This should never, ever, ever have happened.”
