Toronto police had on display several of the firearms recovered following a “brazen” exchange of gunfire that saw nearly 100 shots fired in what they describe as “something we see in TV and movies.”
“This is extremely concerning in my time as a police officer, this type of event we really haven’t seen in the City of Toronto,” Staff Supt. Joe Matthews said at a press conference on Thursday.
“It is something that we see in TV and movies but it’s not something that is actually played out on our streets.”
On Monday night, officers were in the area of Queen Street West and Sudbury Street, near Dufferin Street, for an unrelated investigation when they saw a white Honda drive into a parking lot of a grocery store.
Three people got out of the Honda and fired about 50 rounds of shots into the back of another building “being operated as a recording studio,” police said.
Matthews said at the time of the shooting, there were dozens of people at the studio attending a birthday party. Several people left the party and returned fire.
He said the three people from the Honda then took cover behind an unmarked police vehicle that had two officers inside.
“Bullets pierced through the front, back and sides of the vehicle, narrowly missing the officers and riddling cars and surrounding buildings,” Matthews said.
“It happened in a busy part of our city where countless lives were at risk. It is a miracle that no one was injured or killed.”
No major injuries were reported, and only one person was taken to hospital as a precaution.
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More officers rushed to the scene and arrested 23 people. Eight people have been charged, including a teenager wanted for a separate homicide in April.
Sixteen firearms were seized as well, such as handguns and two assault-style rifles, and some were found in the rooftop of the studio and hidden in garbage bins “discarded by the fleeing suspects,” police said.
Insp. Paul Krawczyk, from the guns and gangs task force, said all the guns displayed on the table at the press conference were seized from the scene and were all traced back to the U.S.
“I’d love to say this is an isolated incident, but the reality is guns are coming over the border and (in) so, so high numbers,” Krawczyk said. “And they’re so easy to get that we’re seeing this many guns in the streets.“
“What started this was simply officers looking for someone who had a monitoring bracelet on because they were on a court release,” he continued. “That’s what started this whole thing. Officers were in the area because of that, and it so happens that there was a birthday party happening at the same time.”
Video circulating on social media appears to show people inside the studio, partying and waving guns around before the shots rang out.
“What makes this situation even more alarming is the context in which these firearms were found…. Not only were they allegedly brazenly displaying these weapons on social media, but they also brought these firearms out into our streets and engaged in reckless exchange of gunfire,” Krawczyk said.
Meanwhile, police said one of those arrested is a teenager — a 16-year-old boy — who was also then charged with second-degree murder in the homicide case of 30-year-old Matthew Bergart, who was shot and killed during a home invasion in south Etobicoke on April 25.
The teen was also under a firearms prohibition, police said. Due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the accused teen cannot be named because of his age.
One of the three original suspects from the Honda was arrested at the scene and the other two are still outstanding.
The arrest happened after the three had attempted to flee in their stolen vehicle that was then struck by an unmarked police car. The Honda became disabled and the three got out and fled on foot, police said.
Police also noted that two of the eight individuals arrested were out on bail. Charges include multiple firearm-related offences, including possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm and discharging a firearm.
“These weapons serve as a stark reminder of the real and present danger that illegal firearms pose to our community, to innocent citizens, and to officers who bravely respond to these incidents,” Matthews said.
“If you know of anyone who is in possession of illegal firearms, please come forward. Share what you know with us, call Crime Stoppers, so we can take these weapons off our streets before another incident like this occurs.”
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