An investigation into two separate weekend shootings in Toronto, Ont. has expanded to the Hamilton area.
Toronto police have confirmed a unit supported by special constables, a marine unit and drone operators has been scouring a greenspace this week around the Valley Park Community Centre in Stoney Creek.
A police spokesperson said the stolen black Acura connected to the case was found in a nearby parking lot and that the exploration of Felker’s Creek is to seek potential clues to identify the shooting suspect.
Two people were shot at the same intersection in a northwest Toronto neighbourhood in less than a day apart last weekend.
Investigators said that while they can’t rule out the possibility the attacks last Friday and Saturday were related to gang violence, there is no evidence the two people shot – one of them fatally – were in any way affiliated with gangs or “anything of that nature.”
The two victims also have no connection with each other or the suspect, they said.
“We believe these two victims were shot indiscriminately,” Toronto Police Det. Phil Campbell said at a news conference. “One person is dead and the other has had their life altered forever.”
The first shooting took place around 6 p.m. Friday when a 16-year-old boy was waiting for the bus alone on his way to a volleyball game, police said.
On Saturday afternoon, a man was shot while walking by a bus stop at the same intersection.
In that case, investigators have said he was shot three times – twice in the stomach – and later died in hospital.
He has now been identified as Adu Boakye, a 39-year-old man from Ghana who police said came to Toronto last November to support his family.
– With files from the Canadian Press