Toronto , Canada Shooting/Homicide CCTV Compilation
Particularly disturbing is the fact that a handful of the shootings appear to be completely random – perhaps a case of a gang initiation, as Det. David Dickinson said in a news conference on June 24 for drive-by shooting victim, 31-year-old Jenas Nyarko.
“It would appear this is a case of individuals coming from one neighbourhood into another and shooting the first person they see,” said Det. Dickinson.
Aside from random shootings, the possibility of innocent bystanders getting hit by stray bullets, especially after two little girls were shot in a playground earlier this month, is now a legitimate concern.
While increases in shootings are typical in the summer months (data dating back to 2005 shows a consistent spike in homicides in the month of July), with murder largely a crime of opportunity, the current situation has many questioning if we are in for a repeat of 2005’s “Summer of the Gun” in Toronto.
During that year the city saw an all-time high of 52 gun related homicides throughout the year, many of which occurred in the summer. Right now, we are at three more shootings than we were at this point in 2015. Should we still feel safe at a time of heightened gun violence? Are we dealing with a crisis?
