EvanL
06-20-2006, 02:10 PM
Jun. 20, 2006. 11:39 AM
STEVE RENNIE
STAFF REPORTER
One man is dead following an apparent police shooting early Tuesday at a Scarborough apartment building that has left residents shaken. Witnesses believe police shot the man after he refused to drop his weapon.
Police were being tight-lipped about the incident, but when asked to confirm whether police fired the fatal shot, a Toronto Police sergeant at a nearby police station said, "At this point, it appears to be so."
Residents at the Royaltown apartment building on Scarborough Golf Club Rd. just north of Lawrence Ave. E. in Scarborough heard gunfire around 5 a.m.
One resident said she heard three gunshots. Another woman claims she heard someone yell, "Drop the gun!" before shots rang out. Three shell casings were found nearby.
A witness said he saw paramedics attending to the man soon after the shooting. The victim died on the scene.
Just after 9:30 a.m., a white Dodge Caravan with a crumpled front end was still in the parking lot outside the apartment building. The minivan apparently struck a tree during the confrontation and the driver's side window appeared to have been shattered by bullets.
There was a bullet hole above the handle of the passenger's side sliding door.
Two black and white high-top sneakers lay near the van, one near the driver's side door and another about five metres in front of the van. A Boston Red Sox hat also lay near the driver's side door.
Ambulance technicians could be seen from a corner apartment on the third floor and one man from Emergency Medical Services kept walking in and out of the building.
The victim was unloaded from the ambulance to the coroner's car at 10 a.m. Police surrounded the ambulance with cars and vans, using a large orange sheet to block the view from onlookers.
Police have cordoned off Scarborough Golf Club Rd. from Lawrence Ave. E. to Tecumseh Public School one block north. At 11 a.m., a police cruiser covered with orange spray paint was still parked in the roundabout in front of the building.
Connie Bearden, who lives nearby, said she walked her son, a Grade 8 student, to class this morning to make sure he arrived safely. She said she was surprised to hear of the shooting in the area.
"It's hitting too close to home," she said.
One woman whose Grade 7 daughter goes to school at the nearby Tecumseh Public School, said she was also concerned when she heard about the shooting this morning.
"When you have kids and you see that stuff, you're scared," she said. She has lived in the neighbourhood for 28 years.
A man named Gino, who did not want to release his surname, was met by police when he went to get his car from the underground parking garage at 5:10 a.m. this morning. Officers informed him that there had been an incident and he wouldn't be able to access the parking garage due to investigations.
An elderly man who did not want his name used also expressed disappointment with the violence in his neighbourhood.
"It used to be a safe area, no problems. Now you can see for yourself," he said, as he pointed to the parking lot.
Keith Cumberbatch, who has lived in the neighbourhood for four months, said he finds the area safe and was surprised by the shooting.
There are 11 Special Investigation Unit investigators on scene. The SIU is an independent civilian agency that probes all incidents involving police and civilians that result in serious injury, ****** assault or death.
With files from Amanda-Marie Quintino and Joanna Smithhttp://www.thestar.com/images/thestar/img/060620_shooting_royaltown_3.jpg COLIN MCCONNELL / TORONTO STAR Police investigate the scene of a shooting at the Royaltown apartment buildings at Scarborough Golf Club Rd., and Lawrence Ave.
STEVE RENNIE
STAFF REPORTER
One man is dead following an apparent police shooting early Tuesday at a Scarborough apartment building that has left residents shaken. Witnesses believe police shot the man after he refused to drop his weapon.
Police were being tight-lipped about the incident, but when asked to confirm whether police fired the fatal shot, a Toronto Police sergeant at a nearby police station said, "At this point, it appears to be so."
Residents at the Royaltown apartment building on Scarborough Golf Club Rd. just north of Lawrence Ave. E. in Scarborough heard gunfire around 5 a.m.
One resident said she heard three gunshots. Another woman claims she heard someone yell, "Drop the gun!" before shots rang out. Three shell casings were found nearby.
A witness said he saw paramedics attending to the man soon after the shooting. The victim died on the scene.
Just after 9:30 a.m., a white Dodge Caravan with a crumpled front end was still in the parking lot outside the apartment building. The minivan apparently struck a tree during the confrontation and the driver's side window appeared to have been shattered by bullets.
There was a bullet hole above the handle of the passenger's side sliding door.
Two black and white high-top sneakers lay near the van, one near the driver's side door and another about five metres in front of the van. A Boston Red Sox hat also lay near the driver's side door.
Ambulance technicians could be seen from a corner apartment on the third floor and one man from Emergency Medical Services kept walking in and out of the building.
The victim was unloaded from the ambulance to the coroner's car at 10 a.m. Police surrounded the ambulance with cars and vans, using a large orange sheet to block the view from onlookers.
Police have cordoned off Scarborough Golf Club Rd. from Lawrence Ave. E. to Tecumseh Public School one block north. At 11 a.m., a police cruiser covered with orange spray paint was still parked in the roundabout in front of the building.
Connie Bearden, who lives nearby, said she walked her son, a Grade 8 student, to class this morning to make sure he arrived safely. She said she was surprised to hear of the shooting in the area.
"It's hitting too close to home," she said.
One woman whose Grade 7 daughter goes to school at the nearby Tecumseh Public School, said she was also concerned when she heard about the shooting this morning.
"When you have kids and you see that stuff, you're scared," she said. She has lived in the neighbourhood for 28 years.
A man named Gino, who did not want to release his surname, was met by police when he went to get his car from the underground parking garage at 5:10 a.m. this morning. Officers informed him that there had been an incident and he wouldn't be able to access the parking garage due to investigations.
An elderly man who did not want his name used also expressed disappointment with the violence in his neighbourhood.
"It used to be a safe area, no problems. Now you can see for yourself," he said, as he pointed to the parking lot.
Keith Cumberbatch, who has lived in the neighbourhood for four months, said he finds the area safe and was surprised by the shooting.
There are 11 Special Investigation Unit investigators on scene. The SIU is an independent civilian agency that probes all incidents involving police and civilians that result in serious injury, ****** assault or death.
With files from Amanda-Marie Quintino and Joanna Smithhttp://www.thestar.com/images/thestar/img/060620_shooting_royaltown_3.jpg COLIN MCCONNELL / TORONTO STAR Police investigate the scene of a shooting at the Royaltown apartment buildings at Scarborough Golf Club Rd., and Lawrence Ave.