The mother of a 22-year-old man who was gunned down in Etobicoke last week says she’s struggling to come to terms with the violent way her son died.
Shaquille Wallace was walking home from work on Jan. 9 near Scarlett Road and Lawrence Avenue when an unknown assailant fired multiple shots at him.
Toronto police officers found Wallace lying in a laneway suffering from gunshot wounds at around 8 p.m.
He was rushed to a trauma centre but did not survive.
The young man’s mother told CTV News Toronto on Monday that she’s cried every morning since his death.
“The last time I saw him we were in church,” Pearl Clarke said. “He came and sat beside me and gave me a big hug and he kissed me on my forehead and said, ‘Mommy, I love you and I really want to change my life.’”
Clarke said her son was steps away from home when he was killed. Investigators have not yet released any information about possible suspects. Previously, police said that reports indicated that six shots were fired that night.
Wallace’s family describes him as a “quiet” and “well-respected” man. They say they’re baffled by his violent death.
“I don’t know who would do this or why they would do this,” Wallace’s sister, Melissa Campbell, told CTV News Toronto. “It’s puzzling to my family and I.”
Campbell pleaded for anyone who knows anything about the shooting to call police so the family can find justice.
“If they know anything… If anybody has any information, please come forward,” she said.
“We want justice, we don’t want anything more. It could happen to anybody, it could have happened to anybody’s brother, sister or mother out here. Until this person is caught, who knows what’s going to happen.”
A vigil will be held for Wallace on Jan. 23 in the Scarlett Road and Lawrence Avenue area. A small memorial has been growing in the area since the fatal shooting.
Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to call Toronto police or Crime Stoppers.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Scott Lightfoot.
