TORONTO – Toronto Police arrested eight men Thursday who they say are actively engaged in criminal activities including the deaths of four men and the attempted murders of another two since 2008.
Staff Inspector Greg McLane held a press conference at Toronto Police Headquarters on Thursday where he detailed the results of Project Sugar Horse – the investigation into the four homicides.
The events include the targeted murders of 28-year-old Jermaine Smith and 27-year-old Delano Coombs, the seemingly random murder of 27-year-old Daniel Davis and the shooting of 29-year-old Kenneth Mark.
The investigation started after Kenneth Mark was shot while sitting on a planter at 2490 St. Clair Avenue West on September 2, 2008. He was talking with a friend when he was approached from behind and shot in the head. He survived but was shot and killed in December 2009 while outside of a west-end pizza shop.
On Thursday, a 19-year-old was arrested. He can’t be named because he was a young offendor at the time of the shooting.
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On August 27, 2011, Jermaine Smith was shot several times in a Mississauga parking lot. Shortly before his death, police say, he was at a community BBQ attended by close to 100 people.
Aiman Khiar, 24, nicknamed ‘Bigz’ has been charged with first degree murder in Smith’s death.
Daniel Davis was shot while outside Flemingdon Park Public School on Don Mills Road with his friends in July 2012. According to McLane, the murder appears to be a random shooting.
“Some of these are random acts of violence,” he said. “They came across these people, engaged them and murdered them.”
Shakeil Wheatle, 19, Dwayne Willis, 20, and nicknamed ‘Mafia’, Amanda Rumbolt, 29, and nicknamed ‘White Millie’, Jathursan Rajarubakumar, 22, and nicknamed ‘Yadi’ and Bershon Roach-Ferguson, 20, and nicknamed ‘Bread’ have all been charged with first degree murder in connection to Davis’ death.
The accused are not necessarily part of a street gang, McLane said but noted that they hung out and allegedly committed violent crimes together.
Bent and Rumbolt have also been charged with the attempted murder of an 18-year-old man who was shot while walking in the Dallner Road and Loney Avenue area of Toronto. Police say this shooting was also a random act of violence.
And McLane said the shooting death of Marvin Engelbrecht, 24, was also a random act of violence. Engelbrecht, was chased down in the Flemington Road area of Toronto while he was walking his dog and shot in the head on October 29, 2012. He later died in hospital.
Police are investigating other violent crimes to see if there is a connection to the charged individuals.
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