A mother is dead and three others are in hospital after more than 20 gunshots rang out in Toronto's Jane and Finch neighbourhood Tuesday evening.
The victim, identified as 30-year-old Rachel Alleyne, was shot in the stomach. It appears she was an innocent bystander in a violent confrontation.
Alleyne was one of about a dozen people hanging out in the backyard of one of the townhouse units at 20 Driftwood Ave., playing dominos and drinking beer.
All of a sudden, around 8:30 p.m. one or two men started firing between 20 and 30 shots over the fence.
Another woman was shot in the leg and two others made their own way to hospital with minor injuries. Alleyne was rushed to Sunnybrook hospital but didn't survive.
She leaves a two-year-old son behind.
Investigators believe a man at the party was the intended target of the shooters. He was able to runaway and hasn't been seen since.
Police are looking for clues by looking through security tapes from cameras installed throughout the townhouse complex. They have also set up a command post on the street as they look for eyewitnesses.
The murder was all neighbours could talk about Wednesday.
"I haven't seen any political leaders out here at all in this community," said Ali Clarke, a vocal activist in the community. "It's very tragic...it's a social problem."
Despite earlier information that suspects were taken into custody, Const. George Schuurman told CTV.ca the arrests were made on an unrelated matter.
Investigators are still looking for three suspects.
Around the same time, more gunshots were fired not too far north from the area on Shoreham Dr. There is no word whether or not the two incidents are related.
