Shootings plague neighbourhood
Last Updated: August 16, 2010 5:26pm
Three shootings within two months.
That grim reality was the the focus of residents around the refurbished Hamilton Apartments in Toronto’s St. Jamestown area on Monday.
The most recent of the three shootings near 375 Bleecker St., in the Bloor and Sherbourne Sts. area, — around 11:48 p.m. on Saturday — left Nicholas Kenyon, 29, known as M.J., dead.
“I heard three shots, and that was it,” said area resident Laurie, who didn’t want her full name used.
“It was quiet for seven minutes,” she said, and then the sirens could be heard getting louder as ambulance and police arrived at the scene.
Toronto homicide Det.-Sgt. Stacy Gallant said Monday no one has been able to tell him the identities of the three suspects.
Police went door-to-door searching for video surveillance of the neighbourhood.
The victim was sitting on a bench by a children’s playground when he was confronted by at least three suspects, including the gunman.
“He got up and started running and ran across the street towards the underground parking garage,” Gallant said. “As he was running, they were shooting at him and he ended up collapsing on the bottom of the ramp.”
Gallant said there were several gunshots, but it’s not yet clear how many weapons were used.
“Obviously, he was the intended target,” he said.
Gallant said the slaying “has the overtones” of being drug related.
Kenyon is known to police for drug trafficking and doesn’t live in the area.
Laurie said she heard a woman yelling when she was grabbed by a police officer, saying that she didn’t do it and that she loved the victim.
The city’s 36th murder follows the attempted murder of another man on July 22.
Triston Brown, 26, is wanted for attempt murder and numerous firearm offences following the July 22 shooting incident outside the same Bleecker St. apartment. The man who was under a number of court-imposed weapons bans was also convicted of 2005 weapons and drugs charges after he was tackled by police while trying to pull out a loaded 9mm pistol.
“Obviously, we’re looking at that because it was in the area but I don’t have a connection between these two at this point,” Gallant said.
He said he’s not sure if the victim in that incident is known to police.
Little is known about the third shooting in the area.
