Another Example That Proves Crime Is Down

Cameras capture shooting near Sam's record store

toronto.ctv.ca

Toronto police are investigating an early morning shooting outside the Sam The Record Man store downtown.

A 15-year-old boy was struck in the leg in front of the landmark Yonge Street shop, near Gould Street, police said.

The victim checked himself into St. Michael's Hospital at about 7:30 a.m., but police said he is refusing to co-operate.

Investigators found several bullet holes in the window of the popular music store.

"We've got several shots that were fired -- exactly how many I'm not sure, but at least four," Staff Sgt. Stan Belza told the Toronto Star.

Belza said the incident was captured on the temporary CCTV cameras installed along the stretch of Yonge that is popular with tourists and shoppers, especially during the holiday season.

The surveillance has helped investigators determine the teen was walking along the east side of Yonge with a small group of people at about 5:45 a.m. when the shots were fired from the west side of the street.

The victim lives in a foster home outside the city, police said.

"We don't know that he was an intended target or not," Belza said. "I don't know why this shooting took place. That's the part we're going to work on now."

The shooting took place near the spot where 15-year-old Jane Creba was shot and killed on Boxing Day in 2005. She was struck by a stray bullet during a shootout between rival gangs.

The CCTV cameras were installed this holiday season after complaints from local business owners who didn't want to see a similar incident happen again.