Gun violence plagues Toronto
Four injured Sunday near Kensington Market after three people shot Saturday
TORONTO — Toronto police are investigating yet another shooting in the city involving multiple victims. Four people were injured after shots were fired just west of the downtown core in the city’s Kensington Market area on Sunday, police said.
They described one victim’s injuries as “very serious,” and the others as non-life-threatening.
They also said that as many as four possible suspects were spotted running from the scene.
Toronto has been plagued by a surge in gun violence, which Mayor John Tory has blamed primarily on street gangs.
Up-and-coming rap artist Jahvante Smart, 21, and Ernest (Kosi) Modekwe, 28, both of Toronto, died after being gunned down Saturday in broad daylight in the city’s busy entertainment district. A woman was also wounded in that incident.
Just weeks earlier, two young sisters were wounded at a city playground in another high profile daylight shooting.
Tory renewed his call for systemic action to keep people accused of gun crimes off the streets.
On Monday, friends and family of Smart and Modekwe said the two emerging artists in the city’s rap scene will be remembered for their hard work and ambition.
Canadian record producer Shane Lindstrom, also known as Murda Beatz, said in an interview that he was close to both Smart, known as Smoke Dawg, and Modekwe, 28, who performed as Koba Prime.
Lindstrom said that on Saturday, Modekwe texted him at about 3 p.m. saying: “I love you, baby.”
“He would say stuff like that when he was out having fun,” said Lindstrom. “It’s heartbreaking. I didn’t see [the text] right away.”
Modekwe was the brand manager for a hip-hop collective called Prime, said family and friends. In April, billboards of the group towered over Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square when they released their song Sopranos. The group also launched a clothing line last year with, which Modekwe modelled for.
Lindstrom said when he found out about the shooting, he repeatedly tried in vain to reach Smart and Modekwe on their cellphones.
The two men were rushed to hospital following the shooting, but both succumbed to their injuries, police said.
Smart released his first single in 2015 and was on Drake’s Boy Meets World tour. Drake posted on Instagram a photo of him and Smart performing together with the caption, “Rest up Smoke.”
“Kosi was one of my best friends,” Lindstrom said. “Smoke was like a brother to me. It’s definitely a loss for Toronto, they’ll always be remembered.”
Smart’s family released a statement saying that he leaves behind a one-year-old daughter and 13 siblings.
“As a young man from Regent Park, he overcame poverty and grew into a responsible caring grown man who took care of his friends and family,” the statement said.
“He helped people wherever he could and will be remembered for his huge smile and glowing personality.”
Lindstrom said he met both Smart and Modekwe in Toronto about four years ago and they instantly became friends. He said they would get together when Lindstrom would visit Toronto about once a month.
Modekwe grew up in Toronto’s west end with his single mother and two younger siblings.
“He was the oldest so he was always trying to take care of me, my brother and my mom,” said his sister, Chinasa Modekwe, in an interview.
She said Modekwe worked multiple part-time jobs to help pay the bills and later bought the family laptops and took their mother on her first vacation.
“He was a good man, with a lot of dreams, a lot of aspirations,” Chinasa said. “He had so much life in him, he had the biggest heart.”
A basketball star growing up, Modekwe played his the high school team and then for fun while he studied criminology at the University of Toronto.
He wanted to be a lawyer, Chinasa said, but her brother’s real passion was music as he was inspired by Kanye West, The Notorious B.I.G. and Drake.
One of the Prime members posted on Instagram that he and Modekwe met in 2004 and were best friends for 14 years.
“His energy was like no other, he made everyone smile, made people feel happy, he would light any room, no matter how dark it was. It was very easy to be Kosi’s friend, he was a definition of friend,” Jermane Prime said in the post.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford released a statement expressing his condolences to the victims.
“This has been a very difficult summer in our city, and thoughts and prayers just aren’t going to cut it anymore. We need action,” he said.
“I am looking forward to meeting with representatives from the Toronto police in the near future so we can get to work on a strategy to end this senseless violence.”