Jelena Loncar’s younger sister Lana stands across the street from the former location of C-Lounge where Jelena was struck by a stray bullet 10 years ago.
Lana says she walks here almost every day because her office is just down the street.
“Working out of this location, knowing that it’s so close to the site, initially I was scared. I thought I was really going to hate it, it was going to bother me, but it’s comforting in a sense,” Lana said.
What isn’t comforting is that a decade after Aug. 26, 2014, when her 32-year-old sister was killed, there still has not been an arrest in the case.
“I want to scream at the top of my lungs how angry we are and frustrated and the only other feeling my family feels is complete and utter sadness,” Lana added.
Jelena, who worked as a bartender at a nearby Holland Landing, ended her shift around 2:30 a.m. and went to C-Lounge to wish her friend, who was DJ’ing that night, Happy Birthday. When she arrived, the nightclub was closed and that’s when Jelena was shot.
Toronto police Supt. Andy Singh, who was in charge of the case until he left the homicide squad in 2019, says it’s a night he will never forget.
“Three cars had shown up with some individuals that got out of these cars and started ripping off chains of patrons that were coming out of the club. One of these instances, the person who had the chain resisted, a scuffle ensued and the shooter started firing shots at the person who was trying to evade them and they ended up getting shot multiple times,” Singh said.
That person, identified as 25-year-old Tremaine Nigel Fraser, was the intended target, Singh says. At the time, Fraser, a former university basketball star, was known to police. Fraser survived.
“In the midst of all this, Jelena Loncar was standing near the sidewalk, completely innocent, took a stray bullet and as a result of that, she succumbed to her injuries,” Singh said.
Investigators subsequently released surveillance video of the three cars arriving at the nightclub and a composite sketch of the suspect and offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Singh says that even though it’s been 10 years, he still speaks to the Loncar family and the investigation continues. He believes there are people who know who the shooter is and does not consider this a “cold case.” Singh says one avenue for the public to help is through Crime Stoppers, an anonymous tip line that does not require the tipster to testify at trial.
Lana said her life has been on standby since Jelena’s murder and the family will only get some comfort when an arrest is made.
“This is my sister and I will never get tired of talking about her and I will never be happy and my family will never find any sort of peace until some sort of justice is done.”
She says the family gets comfort from Jelena’s cat Romeo, who is still alive at the age of 16. She noted that cats normally only live to about 11. She also pointed out that there are reports that the property where the nightclub used to be is reportedly going to be developed into a cat-themed park with a huge fountain.
“That would be really cute and she was a massive animal lover,” Lana said.