A North York teenager suffered “life-altering injuries” after she was shot in the head at her apartment on Feb. 12, police said.
Toronto Police responded to a call of a shooting at 25 Stong Court, located near Jane Street and Finch Avenue at around 3 a.m. Arriving officers found the teen with a gunshot wound to her head.
Police allege a group of youths people were inside the unit of an apartment building when a shot was fired, striking the victim in the head. Investigators said the suspect and others then fled the scene.
Toronto Paramedics with support from police, were able to quickly get the victim to Hospital for Sick Children.
Police said the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force arrested a youth without incident on Feb. 16.
A 17-year-old boy who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act faces a number of charges including unauthorized possession of a firearm, aggravated assault, criminal negligence causing bodily harm, and discharge of a firearm being reckless with regard to the safety of another person.
A resident of apartment building who does not wish to be identified said she woke up to screaming and people running inside the building.
Community activist and leader Abdulkadir Farah, who runs many community-based initiatives in the Jane and Finch community, said he knows the victim and is distraught and saddened to learn about the shooting.
“It’s very concerning to see that there is an alarming rate of gun violence in the city right now,” Farah said. “There needs to be a lot of changes done by the government before this becomes an issue that gets out of hand.”
But he said It’s not a problem that can be fixed by only one level of government.
“There needs to be an all-hands-on [deck] approach from all levels of government,” Farah said.
This is the second shooting at the same address involving someone under 18 years old.
Residents of the area are no strangers to gun violence that includes young children. A stray bullet claimed the life of 12-year-old Dante Sebastian Andreatta while he was shopping with his mother last November.
He died hospital days after the shooting in hospital.
Toronto reported 22 shootings since the beginning of 2021 and eight of those are homicides.