A shooting in downtown Toronto Sunday night that ended with a carjacking suspect crashing into an Etobicoke school stemmed from a car rental agreement that had gone wrong, police say.
Officers were called to the area of Sherbourne and Dundas streets just before 9:30 p.m. for reports of gunshots. When they arrived on scene, police said they found a male victim with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
In an update Monday, police said that before the shooting took place, the victim and one other individual accompanied their friend, who had rented out their vehicle through an unnamed online marketplace.
Police said the owner of the vehicle had not received last month’s rental payment and decided to retrieve the car. After they located the vehicle, police said the owner contacted the person who originally rented it and arranged for them to hand over the keys.
As the victim, the vehicle’s owner, and their friend stood near the car, a lone male suspect approached. It’s unclear if the suspect was the person who initially rented the vehicle.
The car owner told the suspect they could not take the vehicle, police said. At that point, the suspect entered the car and produced a handgun.
The suspect discharged six rounds from the handgun, and struck the victim twice. The owner of the vehicle and their friend were not hit.
Police said the suspect fled the scene in the vehicle and was later located 25 kilometres away from the shooting scene in the area of Kipling Avenue and The Westway, where the driver lost control and was involved in a single-vehicle crash. They were taken to hospital as a precaution.
In an email to CP24 on Monday morning, police confirmed that the vehicle crashed into Dixon Grove Middle School and caught fire. Police did not say if anyone was inside the building at the time.
While it’s unclear if police were involved in a pursuit of the suspect vehicle prior to the crash, a Toronto police spokesperson said the Special Investigations Unit has not invoked its mandate.
A firearm was recovered at the time of the arrest, police said, adding that no other suspects are outstanding.
The suspect, identified as 19-year-old Toronto resident Jakhiray Heavens, is facing eight charges, including robbery with a firearm, two counts of discharge firearm with intent, aggravated assault, and theft of a motor vehicle involving violence.