Face of Nation : Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, said the shooting damaged parked cars. Officers have located several shell casings on the ground. Several units, including the canine unit, are on the scene, she said.
Police have not released the ages of the victims. Barry Rieder, a community minister with the United Church of Canada, says the shooting occurred on a plaza. “It’s very unfortunate that these situations end up happening,” he said.
“It takes away from the very positive things that are happening in the community. We have been working several years now to decrease the gun violence, but unfortunately throughout the whole GTA now, we seem to be immersed with a rash of shootings.” Rieder said the church provides support for families of victims of gun violence as part of its crisis response.
“Unfortunately, there is a high degree of unemployment here in the Jane-Finch community,” he added. “And a lot of it is race based. It’s difficult for black male youth to find jobs and hold those jobs down. We are just trying to create more economic opportunity for the youth so they don’t get up caught in gang life,” he said.
