‘Extremely troubling’: Toronto mayor condemns weekend gun violence

Toronto Mayor John Tory is speaking out after several people were shot, one fatally, this weekend.

Calling any act of gun violence “totally unacceptable,” he said the numerous shootings that happened in the city over the last two days, notably the “heartbreaking murder of a 15-year-old boy,” are “extremely troubling.”

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of this young boy and all those impacted by gun violence,” Tory said in a statement provided to CTV News.

“I encourage anyone with information about any of these criminal acts to contact Toronto Police who are working to solve each case.”

Speaking with CP24 Sunday night, Toronto police Const. Alex Li said their message to the public is "if you see something, say something."

“Any type of gun violence is unacceptable. And again, this weekend there was unfortunately a very tragic incident where a 15-year-old boy has lost his life," he said.

"The best way we can proactively deploy our police resources where they’re needed, and often times it’s s in at risk neighbourhoods, is to detect crime trends, increase patrols and provide crime prevention solutions with our different community partners.”

Yesterday, 15-year-old Shalldon Samuda, of Toronto, died in hospital after being shot early Saturday morning in North York, near Keele Street and Sheppard Avenue West.

Late Saturday night, a 19-year-old man was rushed to hospital following another shooting in North York, this time near Willowdale and Church avenues.

Early Sunday morning, a woman in her 20s was seriously hurt after being shot in Etobicoke, near Eglinton Avenue West and Russell Road.

A man was also rushed to hospital this morning after being shot near University Avenue and Adelaide Street.

Toronto police were also called to a shooting at Club Paradise, near Bloor Street West and Lansdowne Avenue, this morning. In this case, two men were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Police also investigated two other firearm dischange incidents this weekend where no injuries were reported.

“The death and devastation that gun violence causes in all our communities is unacceptable and I am committed to making sure all governments work together to do everything possible to meaningfully address gun violence and keep our communities safe,” Tory said, adding the city has a “comprehensive approach to stopping gun violence” and he would “continue to work with the federal and provincial governments to make sure that we also crack down as hard as possible on the flow of illegal guns across the U.S. border.”

Tory went on to say that they “support the police addressing gun and gang violence in our communities, we work to strengthen sentences and bail when it comes to gun crimes, and we – all three governments – continue to invest in kids and families and addressing the roots of gun violence.”