Shootings: Toronto hit record in 2018,

City saw 424 shootings last year — well above 2005’s ‘Year of the Gun’

Toronto appears to have hit another record in a year of increased violence. According to police data reported online, the city recorded 424 shootings in 2018, as of the last update on Monday, surpassing the previous high, set in 2016, of 407.

The 2018 total is the highest in publicly listed police data that dates back to 2014, Toronto police spokesperson Const. Jenifferjit Sidhu said.

Police data maintained by the Star shows 2018’s total is also higher than any year since 2005.

To access earlier police data, Sidhu said the Star should file a freedom of information request.

Louis March, founder of the Zero Gun Violence Movement, said Monday the violence in the city in 2018 “didn’t happen overnight,” noting governments at all levels have been failing to address “root causes.”

One reason people are paying attention now, he said, is because gun violence is breaching “safe zones” — areas in the city that have generally been untouched.

“There’s a difference between living in Rosedale and living in Rexdale. There’s a difference between living in High Park and living in Regent Park,” he said.

In 2017, there were 392 shootings across the city — 32 fewer shootings than in 2018.

In 2005, at the time nicknamed the “Year of the Gun,” there were 359 shootings. Between 2006 and 2013, the number of shootings stayed between 202 and 260 shootings per year.

In 2014, the city saw the lowest number of shootings, with 177, but the next year, the numbers rose dramatically to 288 shootings.

Don Peat, communications director for Mayor John Tory, said Monday the mayor was actively focusing on addressing the root causes of violence in the city.

“Mayor Tory stated that these brazen acts of violence are unacceptable and he is confident that our police officers are doing everything possible to bring those responsible to justice,” Peat said.

He noted that Tory “believes we need to do everything we can to stop the supply of illegal guns, but we must also make sure that we are doing everything possible to stop people from ever even thinking about picking up a gun.” Peat also said Tory has taken initiatives on the issue, including introducing an anti-violence plan in July, a commitment to hire more police officers, and a call to the federal government to ban handguns and increase gun control. At a year-end press conference, Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders said 2018 was a “unique” year in terms of gun violence, and he was confi- dent that homicide numbers will decline in the new year.

He attributed the violence to an increase in street gang activity, and said there were similar trends across North America. He also emphasized the need for solutions beyond just policing.

Last year set a record for Toronto in terms of homicides, with 96 killings as of Dec. 31. The city passed its record — 89, set in 1991 — with a shooting in November that killed 23-yearold Cardinal Licorish in an apartment building in the West Hill neighbourhood.

Of the 96 homicides, 51 were gun deaths.

This number includes Reese Fallon, 18, and Julianna Kozis, 10, who were killed on a Sunday evening in late July in a mass shooting in the heart of Greektown.

Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders confident homicide numbers will decline in the new year