Toronto police say gun-for-hire networks linked to US Consulate shooting
Toronto police have connected several shootings, including one at the U.S. Consulate in March, to sophisticated gun-for-hire networks
TORONTO — Law enforcement in Canada revealed on Tuesday that they have tied multiple shootings, including the U.S. Consulate incident in Toronto in March, to intricate gun-for-hire networks that have also targeted synagogues in the city.
During a press briefing, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw disclosed that young individuals are being recruited through encrypted messages and compensated by the networks to carry out the shootings, with a requirement to film the acts for payment. Some of the weapons used in the attacks have been confiscated by authorities.
Tragically, a seasoned police officer lost his life last week during a raid linked to the shooting investigation.
Chief Demkiw stated, “It is evident that nefarious individuals are leveraging criminal elements within our city to perpetrate these dangerous incidents. Some of the entities behind these criminal activities aim to instill fear in our communities, particularly the Jewish community.”
Toronto police, in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the FBI, are diligently working to identify the financiers behind these attacks.
Chief Demkiw mentioned that two firearms recovered during the probe, believed to be involved in over 25 shootings in the Toronto vicinity, originated from the United States. Ballistics examinations are ongoing.
Officer Marc Pinizzotto, aged 43, was shot last Thursday while law enforcement officers were conducting a search at an apartment complex in the northwest part of the city. He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
A suspect, 19-year-old Nicholas Bennett, who was shot by police, remains hospitalized and will face charges of first-degree murder.
Authorities are actively seeking another suspect, 19-year-old Zara Jabbi, wanted in connection with the U.S. Consulate shooting, and believed to be armed and dangerous.
