Toronto police say recently released video footage of a gun battle in a busy Toronto neighbourhood shows a group of suspects playing with guns “like props at a party” before “wildly spraying bullets into the street.”
The video was released by investigators at a news conference Thursday, where police announced that 14 more suspects have been arrested in connection with the “reckless” exchange of gunfire.
More than 100 shots were fired in the gunfight, which occurred outside a recording studio near Queen Street West and Sudbury Street at around 11:20 p.m. on Nov. 11.
According to police, three occupants of a stolen vehicle pulled into a grocery store parking lot in the area that night, exited the car, and began firing at a group who were gathering at a recording studio for a birthday party. The incident escalated to an exchange of gunfire between two rival gangs, police said.
The suspects in the stolen vehicle ultimately took cover behind an unmarked police cruiser with two plainclothes officers inside. The officers, who were in the area for a bail compliance check, were narrowly missed by bullets that riddled the car and surrounding buildings, police said previously.
One of the three suspects in the stolen car was apprehended by officers but the other two fled the area, investigators said.
“Numerous individuals fled the recording studio. While they did so, they discarded multiple firearms on the ground, in the laneway, and in nearby garbage bins,” Supt. Paul MacIntyre, of the organized crime enforcement unit, said Thursday.
“Officers quickly entered the studio and discovered multiple individuals and a significant cache of firearms, including automatic weapons, assault rifles and handguns.”
In total, he said, 16 firearms were seized that night and all have been traced back to the United States.
“This incident was an audacious and reckless exchange of gunfire in downtown Toronto. It is nothing short of a miracle that no one was injured or killed, including innocent civilians and our officers,” MacIntyre said.
Police confirmed that 105 charges have now been laid in connection with Project Poppie, a probe that was launched in response to the shooting.
Eight suspects were initially charged in connection with the incident but police later confirmed that charges had been stayed against five of those suspects. One of the suspects arrested in connection with the shooting is a 16-year-old boy who is also facing a second-degree murder charge in an unrelated homicide investigation.
The incident prompted police to launch a dedicated task force to investigate the shooting, leading to the arrest of an additional 14 suspects. Police said they are searching for nine others who a linked to the incident.
“They (the task force) have been relentlessly seeking suspects since this incident and will continue to do so until every individual connected to this case is brought to justice,” MacIntyre said.
Video shows group ‘casually’ playing with guns
In the video footage released by police on Thursday, several people can be seen hanging out inside a recording studio while handling various firearms.
“They casually play with the handguns and rest them on their laps before dancing around like it is some kind of celebration,” Insp. Paul Krawczyk, of the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force, told reporters Thursday.
Videos of the birthday party were posted on social media prior to the gunfight that night, Krawczyk confirmed.
“What started as reckless posturing escalated into chaos and we allege they began to fire back at a rival gang, wildly spraying bullets into the street without any regard for human life. It is shocking behaviour that underscores the danger these individuals pose in our communities,” he said.
He added that the suspects treated guns “like toys” and lives “like afterthoughts.”
Krawczyk told reporters that police will not be releasing the names of the gangs.
“I am not up here to give them any notoriety whatsoever. I don’t want to say their names. They don’t deserve it and quite frankly I don’t see the purpose,” he said. “We know who they are and that is the most important thing.”
Krawczyk went on to say that incidents like this are happening “across the city.”
“To be honest, I want this to shock people,” he said when asked why police released video footage from that night.
“I want these faces to get out there. We need to find these people. We need to get them off the street. And it is important for the residents of the city of Toronto to know that this is what is happening in their city.”