As family members begin planning a funeral for Jonathan Davis, friends and community members are remembering the 17-year-old killed in an “ambush-type attack” at a Mississauga apartment as a smart, devoted son and older brother to two sisters.
“This is still a shock. Jonathan was a quiet, respectable young man and never got into any trouble — very smart. He was in the honour roll for math … His life was innocently taken on Saturday,” Selma Alincy, a family friend, told Global News on Monday.
Davis, a Grade 12 student at Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School, was one of many neighbours outside of a Darcel Avenue apartment building at around 6:20 p.m. on Saturday when Peel Regional Police alleged seven suspects wearing dark-coloured clothing mostly armed with semi-automatic handguns fired more than 100 rounds of ammunition.
“This was an ambush-type attack … The attackers had complete disregard for public safety within our community,” Chief Chris McCord told reporters on Sunday, adding several people were lined up to buy treats from an ice cream truck.
“Those parents and children fled in the hail of bullets as they were fired into the complex.”
Five people were taken to hospital with various injuries. Four of the injured victims are between 13 and 17 years old. A 50-year-old woman also sustained serious injuries. McCord said investigators believe those filming a music video were the targets of the shooting.
“The intended targets appeared to be a group preparing to film a rap video. The rap video that was shot at this location on an earlier date … has motivated this attack,” McCord said.
McCord said officers believe Davis was a bystander.
“Our investigation leads us to believe that the young man who died last night was actually an innocent victim caught up in this indiscriminate attack,” he said.
Alincy called the attack “devastating,” especially given how many children were outside playing.
“No one feels safe now and it’s a senseless crime. It’s something that shouldn’t have happened … I don’t think there’s any time or specific time a crime should happen, but in front of children? The ice cream truck was outside. It was a beautiful day outside,” she said.
“There’s no words right now. I’m so fed up with emotion and my friend is hurting and there’s nothing I can do. I can’t say, ‘I know Jonathan is going to come back.’ I can’t say, ‘I know how you feel’ because I don’t know how she feels … All I know is that she’s lost her son and that hurts.”
Alincy described how Davis, who enjoyed electronics and learning how to fix things, was particularly helpful for his father — an electrician who is dealing with vision loss.
“He was a bigger brother to them and so acted like a father figure when he needed to be. So they are definitely going to miss him.”
Bleuz Kumar, a community ambassador in the neighbourhood, also remembered Davis as being a supportive son to his parents and Davis’s enjoyment of spending time with friends or playing video games. He said many in the area want to see a difference, but acknowledged they have broader concerns.
“It is scary for a lot of them, but at the very same time it’s unfortunately a way of life over here and this is something we want to change,” he said.
“Every single person here can help. Everyone, every child, every mother, every father, every relative is able to help and support — all we need you to do is come out.”
A memorial was setup at Davis’s high school on Monday. A Peel District School Board spokesperson said the board’s critical incident response team will be at the high school on Monday for students and staff.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign was created to help cover Davis’s funeral arrangements. His funeral is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 19. A vigil to be held in Malton is being planned for Friday evening.
— With files from Gabby Rodrigues and Morganne Campbell