York police are probing 9 targeted shootings to see if they're connected
York Regional Police are trying to determine if nine separate shootings that have seen homes and businesses across the region sprayed with numerous bullets since the fall — are connected in any way.
In each instance — from mid-October to Jan. 16 — investigators believe the shooter or shooters deliberately chose the targets, Const. Andy Pattenden said.
The police spokesman, however, would not say why it appears the homes and businesses were targeted or whether the gunfire could be a sign of gang warfare.
"We wouldn't be ruling anything out at this time," he replied.
2 children inside as bullets hit Markham home
The most recent shooting took place on Jan. 16 outside a Markham home on Risebrough Circuit near Pepperell Crescent. Police got a call around 10:30 p.m. and arrived to find the home pockmarked with bullet holes, Pattenden said.
"It was damaged right across the front of the house," he said.
The shooter fired more than 10 shots, but none struck the nine people — among them two children — who were inside at the time.
In fact, no one has actually been shot in any of the nine incidents thus far. The only person who has been injured was someone who jumped out a window after hearing gunfire and was cut by the broken glass, Pattenden said.
That happened on Jan. 5 outside a home on Sheldon Avenue in Newmarket. Witnesses reported seeing two men run away from the home and toward a vehicle nearby, according to a police report.
It's unclear exactly how many people have been involved in each shooting.
Pattenden said that images and witness reports from shootings on Jan. 16 and Dec. 29 in Markham point to a single gunman in those cases, with at least one other person seen waiting nearby inside a car. In each case, the shooter left the vehicle before he or she began firing.
Appeal for witnesses or video footage
Police also have little information about who it is they should be looking for, Pattenden said. An image captured during the shooting outside Risebrough Circuit shows the shooter's face was covered with a balaclava and a hood, he said.
The car that drove the shooter away appeared to be a dark-coloured, four-door sedan.
Several days before the Jan. 16 shooting, however, strangers came to the home and tried talking to some of its occupants. It's unclear if there's a connection between that visit and the subsequent shooting, but Pattenden said police want to speak with the two men involved.
Investigators are also appealing to anyone with information about any of the shootings to contact York Regional Police at 1-866-876-5423, extension 7541.
