135 Neptune Drive, on the right is the stairwell that Tyrone Bracken was shot dead in. (Photo Courtesy: Janice Yeung)
A 16-year-old boy shot dead in Northwest Toronto has been identified as Tyrone Bracken, a Grade 11 student at Sir Sandford Fleming Academy.
He was shot on Wednesday afternoon and was found lying in the west stairwell of 135 Neptune Drive at 4 p.m.
Neighbours called the police after hearing a sound of gunshots.
The community housing complex is situated south of Highway 401 and midway between Bathurst Street and Allen Road.
When located by police officers, the boy was suffering from an obvious gunshot wound
“He was pronounced dead at the scene,” said the Toronto Police Service in a news release about the incident.
Surveillance cameras were situated on the walls of the building overlooking the doorway of the stairwell.
Const. Tony Vella told The Toronto Star that the police were still looking at security footage from the building where Bracken was shot. They are currently looking for two to four men.
A nearby high school Sir Sanford Fleming Academy was placed in lockdown as the police searched for suspects after the incident.
“Our teachers told us about this when we went to school,” said Nikolay Semenov, a schoolmate of Bracken from the Academy. “I live in this neighbourhood too so my parents are worried about my safety, but we are not considering moving to another area anytime soon.”
His classmate Arianne Mae Destreza said that her parents expressed concern over her safety as a student in the area as well.
The flag was lowered to half-staff outside the main entrance of the Academy. Students gathered to sign on a poster board card to express their condolences towards the victim's family.
Bracken is the 53rd homicide victim in Toronto of 2010. On Thursday, a day after the shooting, neighbours commemorated him by burning a candle at the doorway of the stairwell where he died.
“Residents are going through very hard times here,” said a neighbour of Bracken who wished to remain anonymous. “We are in the process of providing the whole community with counseling services. It has just been less than 24 hours since this happened and we are still in shock.”
He was with a group of residents at the parking lot outside the community housing block discussing about the impact of the incident and how they could give support to those affected.
“Imagine if your niece died and was shot by a gun, would you be okay with it?” he said emotionally.
It was not only the neighbours living at the building where Bracken was found dead who were shocked by the incident. A resident at 130 Neptune Drive, a residential building across the road from the community housing block, expressed safety concerns about living in the area. He was not willing to provide his name.
“We have been scared for several years,” he said. “This is not the first shooting incident, there have been several already.”
Residents in the area were unwilling to stop and talk, most passers-by were walking quickly back to their resident buildings.
Since the incident on Wednesday afternoon, 32 Division officers have been questioning residents door-to-door in surrounding apartment buildings and townhouses.
Students at the nearby Sir Sanford Fleming Academy were also questioned by homicide investigators the morning after the gunfire occured.
A group of Community Unit Special Constables for Toronto Community Housing was patrolling the complex on Thursday afternoon but denied giving any comments.
News of the fatal shooting spread through the community through media reports and word of mouth.
“I saw it on TV,” said Audrey, a resident on Neptune Drive. “It was shocking and scary to know that this happened in my neighbourhood. It is also really sad because the boy had a future ahead of him.”
She recalled images of seeing the victim's parents waiting in a bus shelter outside the public housing complex while the paramedics tried to save the fatally wounded teenage boy in a nearby stairwell.
“There has always been a lot of police cars driving up and down the neighbourhood, which is somewhat strange,” said Matthew Ferguson, a resident who just moved into 145 Neptune Drive in September. “I am surprised that this has happened in such a confined neighbourhood. Looking at society and how it operates, it is hard to enforce political changes which would improve the situation of these neglected communities.”
The police has not released any information regarding the motives behind the killing, number of shootings or weapons used in the incident.
Investigators are asking the public to assist in identifying any suspects.
Anyone with information are asked to contact the police at 416-808-7400. Those who wish to remain anonymous could call Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text "TOR" and your message to CRIMES (274637) or leave a tip on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TorontoPolice
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