This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact The Epoch Times Reprints.
York Regional Police (YRP) says an investigation is underway following three incidents of firearms being discharged in Vaughan within a 24-hour period.
On Sept. 7, YRP officers responded to a report of a shooting at a residence near Via Romano Boulevard and Allison Ann Way in Vaughan at 4:43 a.m., the police service said in a post on X later that morning.
YRP had just minutes earlier responded to a separate “firearm discharged” call, at 4:18 a.m., in the area of Pottery Place and Blue Willow Drive in Vaughan, a city near the northern edge of Toronto and part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The firearm was allegedly “discharged toward a residence,” the police said.
Additionally, YRP said officers had responded to a similar call at 6:25 a.m. on Sept. 6 on Farrell Road in Vaughan. Police had received a report that a residence had allegedly been “shot at multiple times.” There was no immediate threat to the public at the time, the police said.
While no injuries were reported in any of the three incidents, YRP says that investigations are ongoing and that Vaughan residents can expect increased police activity in the area.
The police have not yet released information about the suspects involved in these incidents.
Escalation of Violence
YRP had responded to several earlier incidents over the past week, including a fatal arson in Richmond Hill, a GTA city to the east of Vaughan, on Sept. 1. Officers responded to a report of a house fire in Richmond Hill at 2:57 a.m.
Police said four victims were found inside the residence and one victim was found outside, all of whom were transported to hospital in critical condition.
One victim, an 11-year-old girl, died in hospital on Sept. 2, according to police. A second victim, Helya Bahari-Kashani, 24, of Richmond Hill, succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased on Sept. 3, according to an updated release from YRP.
While police have not released a suspect description and no arrests have been made, YRP say the fire is believed to have been arson and is being investigated as a homicide.
Also on Sept. 1, YRP responded to reports of multiple suspects breaking into a residence in Markham, a city to the east of Richmond Hill in the GTA, shortly before 9 a.m. Police arrested two adults and two teenagers following the abduction of a Markham woman and the shooting of a man during the home invasion at the woman’s residence.
While the woman, 29, was driving, she was intentionally struck by another vehicle, causing her to stop and check the vehicle’s damage. While doing so, another vehicle drove up beside her and forced her inside the vehicle where she was restrained and taken away from the accident scene, police said in a Sept. 3 news release.
Five male suspects then went to the woman’s home where a 54-year-old man was shot. YRP said officers arrived at the scene as the suspects were attempting to flee. Four of the suspects were arrested—two adults, aged 21 and 20, and two teenagers, aged 17 and 16—who are now facing multiple charges, while one suspect fled on foot and has yet to be located. The woman was found a short time later in Toronto with minor injuries, and her vehicle was recovered nearby.
In addition, on Sept. 2, YRP investigators took a 12-year-old male into custody who is facing charges in connection with a shooting that took place in Markham on Aug. 14. The victim in the incident suffered gunshot wounds and was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The youth has been charged with multiple offences, including attempted murder. At the time of the incident, police say he was out on bail for unrelated violent offences.
YRP Chief Jim MacSween called the rise in violent crimes in Southern Ontario’s York region “concerning” during a Sept. 3 press conference, noting that the escalation of violence is unusual for the region.
“We have experienced a particularly violent few weeks here in York region, which is concerning and of course disappointing to all of us,” he said. “The gravity of these incidents will not be overlooked, and each case will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
