Shooting at US consulate in Toronto part of pattern of criminal-for-hire violence: Police
A shooting at the United States consulate in Toronto earlier this year is believed to be part of a broader pattern of criminal acts in which young people are hired to carry out attacks and film them, police said Tuesday.
Toronto Chief Myron Demkiw announced Tuesday arrests in multiple shooting incidents in the city, including one at the U.S. consulate in March, saying investigators believe the separate firearm discharges are connected.
"What we are dealing with in this case and in other unrelated incidents, including shootings at synagogues and Jewish schools, is a recurring and similar modus operandi -- and that is criminals for hire," Demkiw said during a press briefing Tuesday. "Through encrypted messaging apps, young people are hired to carry out attacks against various targets, and in order to get paid, they're required to film their attacks."
"Who's paying for this? This is what we are trying to determine," he continued.
Demkiw said some of the "bad actors" behind these acts "want to create a sense of fear in our communities."
Three teenagers have been arrested, and a fourth is still sought, as part of an investigation into several shooting incidents in Toronto that occurred in March that targeted the U.S. consulate, an apartment unit and a business, police said.
On March 10, police allege that two suspects, Sheldon Tracey-Stewart and Zara Jabbi, fired multiple rounds at the U.S. consulate before fleeing in a stolen vehicle. The building was damaged but no injuries were reported.
Surveillance footage captured the suspects discharging firearms at the building and recording the incident on their phones, according to the Toronto Police Service. The vehicle was later found abandoned.
Tracey-Stewart, 18, was arrested on June 11 and faces multiple firearm charges, among others, police said.
Jabbi, 19, remains at large, police said. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
A third teen has been tied to two separate shootings in the city, as well as the fatal shooting of a Toronto officer last week while executing a search warrant as part of the investigation, police said.
In one incident, shots were fired at the front door of a unit in an apartment high-rise on March 25. Approximately 24 hours later, a business storefront was shot up, with a neighboring business believed to be the intended target, police said. No injuries were reported in either incident.
A 19-year-old suspect -- Nicholas Bennett -- was arrested on June 11 and has been charged in connection with the business shooting, police said. He is also expected to be charged in relation to the shooting at the high-rise unit, police said.
Additionally, Bennett is expected to be charged with first-degree murder for allegedly fatally shooting a police officer, Constable Marc Pinizzotto, during the execution of a search warrant on June 11, police said.
Bennett was shot by police during the incident and remains in a hospital in police custody, Demkiw said Tuesday.
Another teen -- 18-year-old Jayon Burgher -- was charged in connection with the March 26 shooting at the business, police said. He was arrested in mid-April by police in Ontario for a separate shooting targeting a residence in Oakville and subsequently charged in the Toronto shooting, Demkiw said.
Two firearms were seized in the operations last week -- a 9-mm handgun and a .45-caliber firearm, Demkiw said.
Forensic ballistics tests are being conducted to see if the guns are linked to any other shooting incidents in the greater Toronto area, Demkiw said. He noted that their investigation involves at least six incidents linked to a 9 mm handgun and at least 21 linked to a .45-caliber firearm.
"We are still doing ballistic testing, and more arrests and charges can come at a later date," Demkiw said.
