Toronto police have charged a 15-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man in connection with a shooting outside the U.S. Consulate last month, alleging both suspects were criminals for hire.
Arrests follow pre-dawn shooting
Chief Myron Demkiw and Chief Supt. Joe Matthews announced the arrests Thursday, more than a week after the July 27 incident.
Police laid a total of 32 charges. Demkiw said both accused are also facing multiple counts of failing to comply with court-ordered release conditions.
This case does reflect a broader pattern that I’ve spoken of before. These are brazen offences, and we need proper deterrence and justice reform,
Demkiw said the two suspects were criminals for hire, according to Global News, which first reported the charges.
What police say happened
Around 4:46 a.m. on July 27, an officer stationed near the consulate at 360 University Ave. heard a shot ring out. Evidence of the shooting was located outside the building, where a single shell casing was recovered and damage was found on the facade.
A white late-model Honda Accord with no licence plates was seen speeding away. Officers pursued the vehicle along Gerrard Street East and onto the Don Valley Parkway at speeds exceeding 140 kilometres per hour, abandoning the chase near Don Mills Road as per protocol, police said.
The vehicle had been reported stolen earlier that day, according to Matthews, and was later found abandoned in an area of Scarborough. Two security personnel were inside the consulate at the time of the shooting, but no injuries were reported.
Charges and alleged Caledon arson
Xen-Ul-Abdeen Syed, 19, is facing 15 charges, including possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm, arson causing damage to property and four counts of failing to comply. The 15-year-old, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, faces 17 charges, including six counts of failing to comply with a release order.
Matthews also alleged the two suspects, arrested Saturday and Wednesday, are behind an arson in Caledon three days before the shooting.
In many circumstances, we know they’re not getting paid. They’re not getting compensated for what they’re doing,
Matthews said police are getting close to finding out who is behind the criminal-for-hire network.
Wider investigation
Earlier this year, the consulate was targeted in a March 10 shooting that American authorities linked to an alleged international campaign by Iranian-backed groups against targets in Europe and North America. An Iraqi national in the U.S. is facing terrorism charges in connection with that incident.
Last month, an 18-year-old Toronto man, Sheldon Tracy-Stewart, was arrested and charged with 11 counts, including discharging a firearm, illegal firearm possession and vehicle theft. Court documents obtained by Global News allege he was bound by a release order at the time and is charged with failing to comply with it.
The investigation also included the death of Const. Marc Pinizzotto, a veteran emergency task force officer who was shot at while assisting in a raid tied to the probe. Nicholas Bennett, 19, has been charged with first-degree murder in his death.
