Police say a man has been arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting of another man in Scarborough last weekend.
In a press release, Toronto police said officers received report of a shooting in the Morningside Avenue and Sheppard Avenue East area, just after 3 a.m. on May 7.
Police said two men were shot in the plaza of a parking lot.
According to police, 36-year-old Peter Oscar Khan from Ajax was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries and was pronounced deceased.
Officers said another man in his 20s was also transported to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries but has since been released.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Toronto Det. Sgt. Tiffany Castell, said officers believe Khan was targeted by the “lone suspect” because he was wearing a chain around his neck.
“That suspect ripped the chain from Mr. Khan’s neck at gunpoint and shot Mr. Khan,” she said. “The suspect then casually walked away, and about 100 meters away in the parking lot, found another victim who had a chain around his neck and ripped the chain from that individual’s neck at gunpoint as well.”
She said the suspect then got into a white Nissan Altima and drove away.
Castell said investigators determined that the suspect was also allegedly involved in another robbery in the Kennedy Road and Ellesmere Road area earlier that day.
Castell said the force had “significant concern for public safety (because) these three chain-rip rip robberies happened within 90 minutes.”
She said images of the suspect vehicle were disseminated to media and to officers.
Castell said as a result, on May 8 at around 4 p.m., a “keen eyed officer” spotted the suspect vehicle in a parking lot in the Kennedy Road and Ellesmere road area.
“We moved very quickly to seize the suspect vehicle and while we were on scene doing that, the suspect returned to the vehicle attempted to get into the vehicle,” she said. “Our officers prevented him from doing so, (and) he ran away.”
Castell said after a 15-minute foot pursuit, the suspect was arrested.
Officers have identified the suspect as 27-year-old Johvan Waldron from Toronto.
According to Castell, he was initially charged with robbery and was held for 72 hours.
He was charged with first degree murder on Tuesday, Castell said.
Castell urged anyone with information to contact police.