Some very sad news from the neighbourhood this evening. Multiple residents reported hearing gunfire (approximately 7 to 12 shots, some people believed it to be from an automatic weapon) coming from Gerrard Street East and Sumach Street just before 9:30 p.m. Police, ambulances and fire trucks all arrived very quickly afterward and a woman was heard screaming for some time.
A man appearing to be in his 20s without vital signs was taken away by ambulance, but police later reported that he has been pronounced dead. Photos from this CBC news report seem to show homes on the south side of Gerrard Street East between Nasmith Avenue and Sumach Street, and includes the detail that Police believe a suspect might have left in a dark SUV. Please contact Toronto Police Services if you saw anything or have any information. We will update this page as more information becomes available.
We offer our condolences to the victim’s family and friends.
Update January 31:
CBC is reporting that the victim was 18 year old Ali Rizeig. The photos posted below are from the scene the day after the shooting. One resident has pointed out that TCHC appeared to be installing security cameras a few months ago and one of the cameras (above the truck in the final photo) is pointing toward the area of the shooting – we hope that it was operational and able to provide evidence.
February 1 edition of Metro Morning: Remembering Ali Rizeig (cbc.ca – audio)
Here are some police notifications from Twitter from the evening it occurred:
SOUND OF GUNSHOTS:
Gerrard St + Sumach St
-Multiple shots heard
-Woman heard screaming outside
-Others now heard yelling
#189224
^dh— Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) January 30, 2017
SOUND OF GUNSHOTS:
Gerrard St + Sumach St
-Reports man shot
-Not conscious – not breathing
-EMS rushed
#189224
^dh— Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) January 30, 2017
SOUND OF GUNSHOTS:
Gerrard St + Sumach St
-Victim reportedly VSA
-Officers assisting with emergency run
-Reports suspect in dark SUV
^dh— Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) January 30, 2017
SOUND OF GUNSHOTS:
Gerrard St + Sumach St
-Man shot has been pronounced
-Homicide investigator to attend scene
^dh— Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) January 30, 2017
1 reply on “Crime Alert: Murder at Gerrard Street East and Sumach Street”
We have removed some comments that we determined were inappropriate concerning this incident. The commenters questioned the appropriateness of this post since the person died a few feet away in neighbouring Regent Park and also minimized the seriousness of this incident.
The house where the person died is on the south side of Gerrard Street East with the front door about 30 feet from the middle of the street, facing north toward Cabbagetown. This author lives approximately 80 feet from that location. A number of people in Cabbagetown heard the gunfire and the screams and went to assist until police and ambulance arrived and are rightfully shocked that a person – an 18-year old person – has been killed in an act of violence nearby. It hasn’t been determined yet if the person who fired the shots was on the south side of the street’s painted line (Regent Park) or north of the painted line (Cabbagetown) but regardless, this was a loss of life near to us and it should concern us – and the victim’s friends and family should have our support.
We typically report on less serious crime such as vandalism or bicycle thefts only when they occur within the Cabbagetown-Don Vale boundaries. We are technically just the residents association for the Don Vale area of Cabbagetown, but we also include topics for areas nearby such as west of Parliament Street and Cabbagetown South depending on the issue (i.e. carjacking at Seaton and Gerrard, the woman killed by a cyclist on the west side of Parliament St. which is also not in our catchment by a few feet). We think that these issues are of interest to Cabbagetowners and we will continue to report on them.