Following the fatal shooting that killed a pregnant woman in Jamestown, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said that outrage from the public is “not enough.”

At a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, Saunders told reporters that police efforts in gun and gang incidents are only one part of the solution to combating violence stricken communities.

He emphasized that cooperation from witnesses and community members has the potential to solve cases like Candice “Rochelle” Bobb, who was five-months pregnant when the car she was riding in was shot several times in the Rexdale area.

“We can arrest until the cows come home, that’s not going to make communities better -- that is just one factor of all the other pieces that need to be put in place,” Saunders said from Toronto Police Headquarters.

“Public outrage will not be enough. If translated into tangible action, with all parts of the community working together, we can and will make that positive difference.”

He added that the Bobb’s murder is a “very solvable case.”

According to police, Bobb and the other occupants of the vehicle were returning from a men’s league basketball game on Sunday evening when they stopped on John Garland Boulevard to drop someone off. As the vehicle approached its destination, gunshots struck the car several times.

Bobb, believed to be 35, was rushed to Etobicoke General Hospital and was later pronounced dead. The baby was removed from his mother’s womb via emergency C-section and transferred to a local trauma centre on Monday. Officials said the baby’s condition was upgraded to stable.

A friend of Bobb’s told CTV Toronto that the baby is a boy and is the woman’s third child.

Saunders said that Jamestown -- where Bobb was murdered -- has long been a neighbourhood that requires extra police enforcement. According to Saunders, 50 per cent of the violence that occurs in the Jamestown area is “directly related to gun and gang activity.”

“We detected this pattern. We saw this pattern and we put more resources in that area,” he said. “We sat down and deployed proactively and in an enforcement capacity to help bring the numbers down.”

“Up until this homicide occurred, from March until now, the number of deaths in that area was zero.”

Though he reiterated that the vehicle Bobb was in that evening was “definitely targeted,” Saunders refused to call the violence in Jamestown a “gang war.”

“There is noticeably more gun play going on and as a result of that we’re putting more resources in that area and we’re doing very effective work there.”

Saunders added that Toronto Police have seized 250 firearms so far this year.

Gun violence in the city

In 2016, there have been 135 reported shootings and 19 of those resulted in death. Back in 2015, the city saw 84 shootings around this time, but only 6 shootings resulted in death.

Saunders said that the numbers of gun-related deaths are consistent with what is happening across North America and not necessarily exclusive to Toronto.

“Toronto is the safest city in North America. You just have to take a look at the numbers and the numbers are glaring,” he said. “Everyone seems to have the answers (to gun violence). Look across North America, no one has the answers.”

When asked if the absence of carding -- or street checks -- has in fact hindered Toronto police’s relationship with the public, Saunders strongly disagreed.

“They’re (police officers) not just sitting on their hands, they’re making a difference on a day to day basis,” he said.

“The men and women work very hard out there. Are they doing an excellent job? Yes they are. But is there still more to be done? Absolutely.”

Saunders added that police intend on rebuilding public confidence by investing in the communities that need it most.

Letter from Toronto Police Association

In an open letter to the citizens of Toronto, the union representing Toronto police said a “growing disconnect between the police and the community” is evident. The letter, which was published as a full page ad in several newspapers Tuesday morning, stated that the “safest city in North America has a gun violence problem.”

In the letter, Toronto Police Association President Mike McCormack did not offer any recommendations for the alleged problem but said the TPA is “100 per cent committed to building a mutual trust and respect with the communities we serve and protect.”

While McCormack stressed that the practice of carding within police is over, he said the next course of action for police is to engage more with the community.

In Tuesday’s news conference, Saunders had similar sentiments.

“What I know, with absolute certainty, is there no simple solution to complicated problems,” Saunders said. “We know we have to work to do in order to rebuild our public confidence. We’re working extremely hard and will continue to do so.”

Jamestown murder

On Monday evening, Toronto Mayor John Tory and Deputy Mayor Vincent Crisanti visited the neighbourhood where Bobb was killed to express their sympathies.

“I wanted to come down to first of all learn and listen, as to how we can make sure this kind of unspeakable violence doesn’t happen anymore, but also to provide some degree of comfort to these people,” Tory said.

He went on to describe the incident as “totally unacceptable” and addressed residents’ concerns about the influx of guns.