Man believed to be leader of Heart of a King gang charged in Chinatown double murder
A man believed to be the leader of a gang responsible for a string of violent crimes in Toronto is one of two people arrested in connection with a fatal double shooting that took place in the heart of Chinatown last January.
Jahmal Richardson, 33, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder in the shooting that left two dead and four others injured.
Police believe Richardson to be the ringleader of the Heart of a King gang.
He is the second person arrested in conjunction with the murders — Kyle Sparks-MacKinnon, 25, was arrested in January 2016 and faces the same charges.
The pair were previously arrested last June as part of a string of raids dubbed Project Sizzle, which led to hundreds of charges laid against more than 50 people. Police also seized thousands of dollars worth of drugs, weapons and jewelry.
Richardson faced 13 charges in connection with that raid, including a first-degree murder charge.
Sparks-MacKinnon faced a first-degree murder charge along with two other counts of second-degree murder and three more counts of attempted murder.
The new charges were laid last week, but police released the information on Tuesday.
Victims had young daughters
Police were called to the Spadina Avenue and Nassau Street area at about 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2016, after shots were fired during an altercation. The gunplay wounded five people.
David Michael Eminess, 26, died at the scene. Quinn Taylor, 29, died later in hospital of his injuries.
Both victims had young daughters.
At the time, witness Zaigham Ali reported seeing a victim with "blood all over his stomach area."
"It was like a movie scene," he said.
'It's scary'
Area resident Nick Counter said he was going to bed when he heard what he thought were firecrackers.
"It's scary to think someone who might not be responsible, or a bystander, could have been hurt."
The deaths marked the city's eighth and ninth homicides of 2016.
Police allege that the organization's members and their associates were involved in numerous shootings, homicides and prostitution.
Police believe Heart of a King evolved from a Nova Scotian gang, North Preston's Finest.
