Crime Stoppers, police unveil revamped Scarborough playground where 2 young girls were shot in 2018
Crime Stoppers and Toronto police were on hand this morning for the unveiling of a revamped playground in Scarborough where two young girls were wounded in a brazen daylight shooting in 2018.
To celebrate the children who live in the area of 10 Alton Towers Circle, Crime Stoppers launched a project to refresh the playground where the shooting occurred in June 2018.
“June, 14 2018 was a day just like this. It was nice out and children were playing here. Nevertheless, it was a sad day, a terrible day that left scars, without a doubt,” Maxime Langlois, director of the Crime Stoppers BOLO program, said at the unveiling on Thursday morning.
“Unfortunately, there's not much we can do to erase what happened here…. But here's what we can try to do, bury that sadness with happiness and this is exactly what we're trying to do here today. We're trying to bring happiness to the children of this community.”
Nearly a dozen shots were fired in the direction of the playground where several young children were playing on the evening of the shooting.
The intended target was not hit but two young sisters, who were ages five and nine at the time of the incident, were struck by bullets.
The two girls were transported to hospital for treatment and have since recovered from their injuries.
T’Quan Robertson, who police identified as the gunman in the shooting, was sentenced to 13 years in prison last year. Two others were also charged in the incident.
“The Toronto Police Service know and understand that for us to feel safe in the neighbourhoods that we live, visit and play, we need to have a strong community and strong partnerships,” Staff Supt. Randolph Carter said Thursday.
“When there was a tragic event here two summers ago, this community banded together and they worked with the Toronto Police Service to hold those people accountable.”
As part of the Crime Stoppers initiative, children who live in the Alton Towers area were given specially designed “Alton Towers Superhero” sweatshirts today and were provided with a pizza lunch this afternoon.
“We must all work together with a collaborative goal to make a difference in the prevention of crime while enhancing the overall safety of our community,” Sean Sportun, chair of Toronto Crime Stoppers, said in a written statement.
“It is our hope, this project will bring added closure to our community partners at 10 Alton Towers and reinforce that community safety is a shared responsibility.”
Stacey King, the mother of the girls who were wounded, said the new playground offers children in the area a fresh start that will help them move past the trauma.
“No family should have to experience this kind of trauma. Guns and gun violence can effect anybody,” she told CP24 on Thursday. “It does matter what community you are from.”
She said she hopes the incident brings more awareness to the issue.
“Bullets have no name. It is just a sad thing what happened my children… Hopefully this brings more awareness,” she said.
“It takes a community and a village to put a stop to gun violence.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.