Man charged with allegedly killing father, brother in daytime Toronto shooting

A 23-year-old man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder after he allegedly killed his father and brother, and seriouslyinjured his mother, in a daytime shooting in downtown Toronto earlier this week.

Two members of Toronto's Congolese community told CBC-Radio Canada the deceased victims are the shooter's father and brother, while the injured woman is the shooter's mother.

"I was very, very sad to learn that," said Patrick Mpiana of theAssociation Des Congolais De L'Ontario.

Jean-PaulIdikayof La Communaut Congolaise du Grand Torontoalso confirmed the relationship between the victims and shooter in an interview in French.

"The father was a friend. We spoke often. I've known him for a long time. I also know his kids,"Idikay said. "I lost a friend and I lost his kids, the whole family that I spent a lot of time with."

The shooting happened Tuesday in the Regent Park neighbourhood, near the intersection ofDundasStreet E. and Parliament Street shortly before 1:30 p.m., the Toronto Police Service said in a news release on Wednesday.

Officers arrived to find three victims suffering from gunshot wounds. A man was pronounced dead at the scene, while a second man was transported to hospital where he later died, police said.

The third victim, awoman, was alsotransported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said.

Police have said the three victims and suspectare related, but have not said how.

Neighbour takes care of toddler

Police saythe incident began in a house on Arnold Avenue and spilled out onto the street.

Hani Afrahlivestwo doors down and was home when the shooting took place.

"I heard everything. I heard the gunshots. I heard someone falling on the floor ... I saw the police going in," she said.

Afrah said she'sfriendly with a married couple who live in the home.

"When I heard the gunshot, I came out, and then the mom was bleeding and she said, 'Help! Call911," Afrah said. "Then she said, 'My child's in there, my child's in there.'"

Afrah said shewent into the house to grab the woman's child to make sure she was safe.

"It's very, very sad because we came here from back home for safety,"said Afrah, who is from Somalia.

Walied Khogali Ali of the Regent Park Neighborhood Association said the shooting has shattered a relative period of calm in a neighbourhood that saw less gun violence than in previous years. He said the community had zero gun deaths in 2023.

"It sends a chilling message to the communitythat a community they thought was getting safer is no longer safe," he said. "That people could be killed in broad daylight, in the middle of the day when many children are at school, many folks are going to the grocery store, many folks are, you know, coming back from work or are in the midst of work."

2 officers injured during pursuit

Following the shooting, police officers located the suspect and were pursuing him on footwhen "quite the altercation" occurred, Castell said. The suspect was eventually arrested on Sackville Street.

Two officers were injured during the pursuit.

One sustained an arm injury and the other received serious leg injuriesand was admitted to hospital for treatment, the release said.

There are no outstanding suspects, according to police.

The accused, a man from Toronto, wasscheduled to appear in Toronto court Wednesday morning.

Police are asking anyone with information on the shooting to contact investigators or submit a tip anonymously to Crime Stoppers.