Two men have been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a TSN employee in December in Etobicoke.
On Dec. 12, officers were called to the area of Islington Avenue and St. Andrews Boulevard around 6 p.m. for reports of a collision. Investigators said it appeared as though the vehicle had travelled off the roadway and struck a tree.
Police said they found 29-year-old Jonathan Gayle-West inside the vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Colleagues confirmed that Gayle-West was a story editor with TSN and worked on the show Jay and Dan, BarDown and at the radio station TSN 1050. He was planning on auditioning for an on-air role with the sports network, his coworkers said.
Speaking with CTV News Toronto, Gayle-West’s mother said she was notified of the arrests on Thursday.
“(It’s) sweet and sour, because Jonathan is never coming back,” said Grace Gayle. “Today is my birthday and I have no energy for social graces. I cannot celebrate it.”
A few weeks after her son’s death, Gayle said she found a birthday card he had bought for her in his room.
“It means everything to me,” she said.
The victim's aunt told CTV News Toronto that she feels "sickened inside" by her nephew's murder.
“The worst thing is you never get to say goodbye,” said Hazel Gayle-Harrison.
In a news release issued on Friday, police said that two suspects were taken into custody on Feb. 20 in connection with the shooting.
Toronto residents Samir Adem, 18, and Salman Ahmed, 18, have both been charged with second-degree murder.
They appeared in court on Thursday.
Gayle-West’s family said they do not recognize the names of the suspects arrested in his murder.
