Toronto police charge 15-year-old with murder, identify 'innocent' teen victim of shooting
Toronto police have charged a 15-year-old boy with second-degree murder after the shooting of a fellow teen in Scarborough on Monday afternoon.
Investigators identified the victim as Safiullah Khosrawi, 15, a student at Woburn Collegiate Institute.
He was shot near Markham and Ellesmere roads shortly after 3:00 p.m. and later died of his injuries in hospital.
"It is not clear at this time whether he was the intended target," said Det.-Sgt. Andy Singh. "It was very brazen and shocking considering the time of the day."
The arrested teen was known to police, Singh said, and was also a student at Woburn Collegiate Institute. His identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Khosrawi had no prior record with police, Singh said.
"The victim was completely innocent in the sense that he did not have ties to any individuals, his own past and his record. There is nothing there that would indicate that he would end up in such a situation," Singh said.
The victim's relatives believe he was an innocent bystander in the shooting.
"It completely broke my back, I can't really walk right now," said Abdullah Khosrawi, the victim's father, about the shock of his son's death.
Khosrawi recalled seeing police put up tape and establish the crime scene around 200 metres from his home on Monday. His son would have been walking home from school when he was shot, he said.
It was not until three officers knocked on his door that he learned his son was the victim of the shooting.
"We've heard many times this happen, these kinds of things, but it was unbelievable," he said.
Police say there were likely many people in the area of the shooting, though few of them have contacted police with details about what happened.
"We need them to come forward," said Singh.
