A 14-year-old male has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder by the Toronto police in relation to the June 2 shooting death of two Jamaican men in a parking lot of the North Albion Collegiate Institute in northwest Toronto, Canada.
Delroy ‘George’ Parkes, 61, and Seymour ‘Tappa’ Gibbs, 46, who were both originally from St Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, were among five men who were shot and injured at about 10:53 pm on the night of the incident. Parkes succumbed to his injuries in hospital shortly after, while Gibbs died three days later from complications with his injuries.
On Monday, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) while providing an update of its ongoing investigation into the double homicide, described the shooting as random. It said nine men were gathered in the parking lot after a game of football, four of whom escaped injuries.
According to TPS, as the men socialised, a dark pickup truck was driven into the parking lot. Two suspects got out of the vehicle and began shooting at the group of men before fleeing the area in the truck.
Police officers arrived on the scene and located five victims suffering from gunshot wounds. All the victims were transported to hospital, where Parkes was pronounced deceased on June 2, while Gibbs died on June 5.
TPS said in the early morning hours of June 3, officers became involved in a stolen vehicle investigation in the same area after a stolen truck collided with an empty parked vehicle.
“The driver of the stolen truck attempted to flee, but was arrested by officers after a short foot pursuit. Through investigation, it was determined that the youth was one of the suspects (who were reportedly) involved in the shootings,” TPS said.
The teen appeared in court earlier on Monday.
Parkes has left 11 children to mourn, while Gibbs is survived by six children, with the youngest being less than a year old.
