A preliminary hearing began amid heavy security Tuesday for seven men facing murder and manslaughter charges in connection with the Yonge Street shootout that killed 15-year-old Jane Creba.
The hearing, being held in a special courtroom at the Eglinton Avenue courts in Scarborough, will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to send the accused to trial.
Tyshaun Barnett, 20, Louis Woodcock, 20, and Jeremiah Valentine, 25, are charged with second-degree murder and several counts of attempted murder.
Andrew Smith, 21, Shaun Thompson, 22, Andre Thompson, 23, and Vincent Davis, 26, are charged with manslaughter.
The men were arrested following sweeping pre-raids across the city last June.
Last week, Richard Steele, who was robbed by a group of young men believed to be connected to the shooting that occurred about an hour later, had his bid to avoid testifying quashed by a judge.
Steele, 20, argued that being a "rat" would put his life in danger.
Steele was caught in a wiretap saying he was standing "right beside" Creba on the day of the shooting, according to the court documents.
Police affidavits filed in court suggest a scuffle between two gangs inside the Eaton Centre led to the full-blown street shootout on Boxing Day 2005 outside the Foot Locker store.
The flying bullets killed Creba and wounded six other bystanders.
The media watched Tuesday's proceeding from a separate room equipped with a TV monitor.
The preliminary hearing is expected to last until late July. A publication ban prohibits reporting the evidence being heard.
Steele, meanwhile, is scheduled to testify on Monday.
With a report from CTV's Chris Eby
