TORONTO -- A stretch of Canada’s busiest highway was turned into a crime scene Friday following the third triple shooting on Greater Toronto Area-roads since October.
Three people were injured, one of them seriously, in a drive-by shooting on Highway 401 in Pickering, Ont. A section of the 401 was closed for hours as police combed the area for evidence.
So far this year there have been 469 shootings around Toronto and 732 victims, according to Toronto Police.
While homicides in the GTA are down, shootings are up by nearly 30 per cent compared to the same time last year.
Toronto Police chief Mark Saunders said most of the firearms linked to shootings come from south of the border.
“Eighty-two per cent, give or take, of the crime guns in the city are coming from the United States,” he said.
At the root of Toronto’s shooting spike are gangs and drugs, specifically fentanyl, according to the chief.
Saunders said gangs are making more money than ever lacing traditional drugs like cocaine and heroin with highly potent fentanyl.
“Instead of cutting it three times, you cut it five times, so there’s greater money,” he said.
“And on top of that, because fentanyl can cause a higher rate of addiction you’re getting more consumption and more people addicted to it and that adds up to dollars.”
Caught in the crossfire of the gun violence are innocent victims like Jeremy Urbina, the 22 year old who was shot more than 10 times in Toronto Wednesday night while taking a study break.
All three levels of government have pledged to tackle Toronto’s gun problem. A pilot project launched in the fall has had some success.
Saunders repeated his belief that police will not be able to arrest their way out of the problem.
He said 90 per cent of those arrested for firearms offences get out on bail. Instead he’s calling for measures to reduce poverty and increased community support.
