A post-soccer game hangout turned deadly on Sunday evening in north Etobicoke after a shooting, which claimed the life of a 61-year-old man and seriously injuring four others.
Police said sometime around 11 p.m., two suspects in a newer-model, black or blue pickup truck pulled up to the parking lot of North Albion Collegiate Institute, near Kipling Avenue and Mount Olive Drive, got out of their vehicle, and fired up to 50 shots at a group of 15 to 20 men.
One of the victims was rushed to the hospital in life-threatening condition, but later died.
Four others sustained serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, police said. They were also taken to hospital.
During a news conference on Monday morning, Det.-Sgt. Phillip Campbell told reporters that one of the surviving victims suffered “serious, life-altering” injuries, while the other three are being treated for gunshot wounds.
Police have not publicly identified the man who died.
He has, however, been identified by family as 61-year-old Delroy George Parks.
Delroy George Parks has been identified by family as the man who was fatally shot on June 2 outside North Albion Collegiate Institute. (Supplied photo)
Sophia Dunn said she’s related to three of the five men who were shot, including her cousin George, who died. She visited the scene on Monday and laid flowers for the victims.
Dunn told CTV News Toronto that her cousin had called his wife just moments before he passed away and told her that he was “not coming home.”
She also said that her son-in-law, Seymour Gibbs, who is in his 50s, was shot at least three times in the legs and remains in hospital. Gibbs’ former spouse Paula also spoke with CTV News Toronto and confirmed his identity.
“Tears aren’t enough, words aren’t enough to console what has gone. We’re still in shock. We still need answers. We still need to know what has gone, what have they done to deserve this,” Paula said.
Seymour Gibbs has been identified by family as one of the men who was shot on June 2 outside North Albion Collegiate Institute. (Supplied photo)
Dunn said that her uncle, who has not been named, was also wounded in the shooting.
“My son-in-law, cousin, uncle. It is not good for the community. It is very terrifying and scary, very scary and I wish something be done,” she said.
“They always come here, socialize, play football, barbecue, and last night they were just hanging out, enjoying themselves.”
Little is known about the other two men who were shot.
All of the victims are between the ages of 40 to 65 and are members of a men’s soccer team that gathers at North Albion CI on a regular basis.
One man is dead and four others were wounded in a shooting outside a high school in Rexdale on Sunday night. (Patrick Darrah/ CTV News Toronto)
Campbell said he could not confirm if the men were targeted or shot at random.
“It is still very early in our investigation and there a lot of things we have to look into,” he added.
At this time, officers continue to canvas the area for both witnesses and video surveillance footage.
Mount Olive remains closed in both directions between Kipling and Silverstone Drive for the police investigation.One woman who lives in the neighbourhood said she heard what she thought were fireworks last night and only discovered that it was a shooting after her son saw several police cruisers at the scene.
Residents call recent gun violence ‘unsettling’
“My son said he is traumatized,” Paula told CP24.
Another resident said that she heard a rapid succession of shots fired at around 10:45 p.m.
“We just came out and we saw people start running,” she said.
“It has been happening for a while and it is kind of unsettling that it’s always a shooting in the area… Most of the time, the kids have to watch TV, we always sit on the floor. We don’t take chances with sitting on our couches and stuff.”
‘It is terrifying’
The Toronto District School Board confirmed Monday that the high school and on-site daycare will be closed today and students will move to remote learning.
Local Coun. Vincent Crisanti called the violence outside the school on Sunday night “shocking.”
“It is terrifying that a neighbourhood like this is terrorized,” he told CP24 at the scene on Monday.
“My phone is ringing off the hook already. I’m speaking with some constituents just down the road. They are afraid for their lives. You know, it’s gotten out of control.”
Supt. Ron Taverner, the district commander for a pair of nearby police divisions, called the recent string of violent incidents in the area “disturbing.”
He told reporters that two people were shot at random in two separate shootings in the neighbourhood over the weekend, including a 14-year-old boy who was struck by gunfire after stepping outside of an apartment building early Sunday morning.
Both victims are recovering in hospital, he said.
“It speaks to how unbelievable these situations are, that a young person walking out from an apartment building is shot randomly. A 20-year-old is shot randomly,” Taverner said.
“It is very, very concerning to obviously us and the community.”
He said police will be setting up a command post in the Mount Olive area and added that there will be an increased police presence in the neighbourhood following the weekend violence.
“It is a very serious situation that took place,” Taverner said.
“There isn’t anyone in this room or in this community that isn’t outraged.”
With files from CP24’s Codi Wilson and Beatrice Vaisman and CTV News Toronto’s Janice Golding.