Investigations into shootings at the U.S. Consulate and multiple Jewish schools and synagogues in Toronto have led to three arrests and highlight a pattern of young people being paid as guns for hire, the city’s police chief says.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw told reporters at a June 16 press conference that two guns seized during raids last week have been linked to at least 27 shooting incidents across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
A member of the Toronto Police Emergency Task Force, Const. Marc Pinizzotto, was shot and killed during one of those raids and the suspect in his death is in hospital in police custody after being shot by officers at the scene, Demkiw said.
Nicholas Bennett, 19, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the officer’s death. Two other young people have also been taken into custody and another remains at large.
Barrie resident Jayon Burgher, 18, was the first suspect arrested. He was taken into custody in April and has been charged in connection with shootings in Oakville and Etobicoke.
Eighteen-year-old Sheldon Tracey-Stewart was arrested last week in connection with the March 10 consulate shooting, while 19-year-old Zara Jabbi is being sought in relation to the incident.
“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.
“Through encrypted messaging apps, young people are hired to carry out attacks against various targets and in order to get paid, they are required to film their attacks,“ he said. ”Who is paying for this? This is what we are trying to determine.”
Demkiw said multiple networks of “bad actors” are behind the shooting and they want to “create a sense of fear in our communities, including in the Jewish community.”
A .45-calibre handgun associated with the U.S. Consulate shooting has been connected to at least 21 additional shooting incidents in Halton, Peel, and Toronto, including the shooting at the consulate, Demkiw said. Police have also linked a nine-millimetre handgun they seized to at least six shooting incidents throughout the Toronto region.
Both guns, which came from the United States, were discovered during last week’s raids, the chief said.
Demkiw said ongoing ballistic testing may connect them to further shootings. He said there could be more arrests and charges later.
Bennett has been charged with first-degree murder, 10 firearm offences, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and breach of probation.
Tracey-Stewart has been charged with theft of a motor vehicle, seven firearm offences, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and two counts of failing to comply with a release order.
Burgher faces five firearm charges, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and flight while being pursued by an officer.
Demkiw acknowledged the young age of the suspects but noted that they are all legally adults who “need to take responsibility for themselves.”
Consulate Shooting
Toronto police have been working with a number of other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, to investigate the early morning March 10 attack on the U.S. Consulate in what has been described as a “national security incident.”Police said a white Honda CRV stopped in front of the consulate and two men climbed out to shoot at the front of the building before fleeing in the vehicle. No one was injured, but people were in the building when the shots were fired.
Iraqi-Iranian Mohammad Al-Saadi has allegedly been tied to nearly 20 attacks throughout Europe and the United States, as well as two in Canada, including the consulate shooting, the press release said.
Demkiw said the arrests made by local police have not revealed any terrorist ties and he described the perpetrators as young people hired to do a job.
Toronto Police Chief Superintendent Joe Matthews told reporters that young people pick up the shooting jobs on platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, but said the force is “expecting to uncover many more on-device apps.”
The hired guns are required to film the shootings and submit them for payment, which occurs through a “middle man,” Matthews said. He noted that the “orchestrators in the background” remain a subject of ongoing investigation.
