York Regional Police have laid charges against four young suspects in connection with a shooting in Markham that left a 17-year-old dead earlier this month.
Police were called to a shooting in the area of Purple Finch Road and Russell Jarvis Drive – near Markham Road and Highway 407 – at around 6:45 p.m. on Feb. 1.
Officers found the 17-year-old male victim suffering from gunshot wounds. Police said at the time that he was pronounced dead in hospital, but clarified Thursday that he was in fact pronounced dead at the scene.
Police spent hours scouring the normally quiet neighbourhood following the shooting, including a search from the air using a helicopter.
One suspect was transported to hospital and was taken into custody in connection with the shooting, police said.
YRP announced in a news release Thursday that a total of four suspects have now been identified and charged in connection with the killing.
YRP said 20-year-old Isaiah Goodman of no fixed address, 21-year-old Jermain Andrews of Toronto, 21-year-old Joshua Farmer of Brampton, and a 17-year-old male from Toronto are now all facing a charge of second-degree murder.
The 17-year-old suspect cannot be identified under the terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Police have not identified the victim.
Police are asking anyone with further information to contact investigators or to call Crime Stoppers anonymously.
The arrests come the same week that an 18-year-old student was shot dead in a Toronto high school, prompting a warning from Toronto police that the average age of victims and suspects involved in homicides has been trending lower recently.
YRP told CP24.com that they have not noticed a similar trend in York Region homicides so far this year, though the suspects in this case come from across the GTA.
Community activists have called for better funding for community programs that could direct at-risk youth toward better outcomes.
