Arrest In Murder at School
On February 14, at around 3.03 p.m., they received a call for a shooting at David and Mary Thomson Collegiate Institute in Scarborough.
It is alleged that a boy approached an 18-year-old from behind and shot him at point blank range and then pointed a gun at another 18-year-old. No other shots were fired.
Jahiem Robinson was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Nearly four hours later, a boy was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder.
At a media conference at Toronto Police headquarters on February 15, Homicide Inspector Hank Idsinga said the accused, who attended the same school, was arrested near 41 Division while on his way to turn himself into police. He credited the security video footage and the help of the school community for contributing to the arrest.
He made a virtual court appearance this morning.
Police haven’t recovered the firearm used in the murder.
“We are working closely with the school and as part of our investigation, we will continue to interview witnesses as well as review camera footage from the school and surrounding area,” said Idsinga.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or online at 222tips.com.
This is the city’s 12th homicide this year.
One-third of the homicides have involved victims or accused under age 20 and two have involved accused persons under age 15.
“This fact is disturbing and demands that something must change,” said Deputy Chief Myron Demkiw. “There is no rationale explanation for why a 13, 14 or 15-year-old child should have access to illegal firearms, let alone feel compelled to use them.”
From a policing perspective, Demkiw said his organization has been observing data and doing an in-depth analysis of all aspects of violence in the last several years.
The average age of those involved in gun violence between 2015 and 2020 was 25 years. In 2021, the average dropped to 20.
“We are also seeing a greater number of shots fired with an almost 50 per cent increase in shell casings found at scenes of shootings as compared to last year,” noted Demkiw. “Additionally, we have seen a three-fold increase in higher capacity magazines as well as an increase in the modification of firearms to fire bullets in rapid succession.”
Demkiw said the majority of firearms police seize are coming from the United States.
“These factors pose two equally challenging opportunities for police and our partners,” he pointed out. “Specifically, how to keep firearms out of the hands of young people and how do we prevent these young people from engaging in a lifestyle of guns, gangs and drugs to begin with. While we are engaged with our law enforcement partners to address the proliferation of guns in the city, the root causes of gun violence are an issue with many layers of complexity and cannot be the sole responsibility of police.”
As a result, Demkiw said Toronto Police is fully engaged with the City SafeTO Implementation Plan.
It includes the establishment of a Toronto office to prevent gun violence through engagement with appropriate partners to work with the community to enhance co-ordination of gun violence prevention and intervention efforts and better support for victims in communities affected by gun violence by enhancing the Community Crisis Response program and community partnerships that provide trauma-informed culturally-responsive supports.
“In fact, I can confirm that the Community Crisis Response Program has already engaged in response to this neighbourhood as a result of yesterday’s incident,” he said.
Demkiw added that there will be a greater police presence in the neighbourhood following the homicide.
“This will be done by Divisional assets supplemented by a public safety response team,” he said. “From an investigative perspective, our homicide investigators will have access to whatever resources they need to see this case through to a successful conclusion.”
