Published:August 1, 2022
-Toronto Sun
Eight people were struck with bullets in two separate shootings.
At least three of those victims are in hospital — one clinging to life. No one, so far, has been arrested in either incident in Ajax and in Mississauga. The drive-by shooting behind a restaurant at 154 Harwood Ave. in Ajax left six people wounded, one with life-threatening injuries.
Welcome to the Greater Toronto Area on the August long weekend in 2022. Yes, this holiday weekend has been like the wild west.
And east!
It’s outrageous but the norm in today’s GTA. Shootings in Toronto are up in 2022 almost 5% over this time in 2021. With 230 shootings in Toronto, compared to 219 at this time last year, Toronto is on a pace to set a record.
On Saturday, there was a shooting incident at 2:20 a.m. in the McCowan Road and McNicoll Avenue area in which a man was taken to hospital. It’s unknown if that shooting is connected in any way to the Ajax incident but police from different services share information and work together to determine what is behind each case.
One thing that is noticeable in recent times us the terrifying disregard shooters have for people in the vicinity of their intended targets. It’s like they don’t care who they hit.
It is already alarming but especially disgusting when gunmen shoot into a gathering of people who are not armed and not involved.
This is what happened in Ajax.
People out for a good time ended up in ambulances, hospitals with life-altering wounds or worse.
Durham Regional Police are looking for witnesses or video of a disturbing drive-by shooting at 1:20 a.m. behind a restaurant in a strip plaza on Harwood Avenue in which gunfire erupted during an earlier morning barbecue event which had many in attendance.
“Six shooting victims identified at this time,” said Durham Police on Twitter. “Suspects fled the scene in a (dark coloured, four-door) vehicle and investigators are looking for anyone who may have witnessed this incident to come forward.”
Three women and three men were struck in this heinous incident that has shocked Ajax. The car pulled up behind the strip mall and unloaded bullets into a small patio area that basically put people in a position with nowhere to go.
Any shooting is obscene but it’s particularly pathetic when someone fires into a crowd of innocent people.
The good news is police are going through video evidence from a camera that can be seen right above the shooting scene.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the GTA in Malton, near Pearson International Airport, Peel Regional Police report two men were shot around 11:42 p.m. Both are reported to be in stable condition.
This was a busy night in Peel where police responded to two other shooting calls in Brampton where no victims were located. Police are investigating to see if there is any connection between these shootings.
What is known is this was one bloody Sunday night and early Monday morning. It is intolerable and yet it keeps happening.
Politicians, the courts and the police seem to have no answer for it. There has always been lots of talk about root causes and investing in programs but clearly they are not having success. The gun play is out of control in this region.
And banning legally registered guns is not producing results, in terms of reducing shootings. As Toronto Police James Ramer has said repeatedly more than 80% of crime guns used in the GTA are ones smuggled in from the United States.
Wherever these guns came from, the GTA is reeling today after another weekend of wicked gunplay that saw eight people shot.
