Mayor says playground shooting suspects will be brought to justice

Toronto’s mayor says the people involved in a brazen shooting of two young sisters at a playground do not deserve to be part of the city’s society.

John Tory says the same applies to anyone involved in gun violence in the city.

He says the people involved in Thursday’s “unacceptable” attack at a playground in the middle of a housing complex are cowardly and will be brought to justice.

Police are investigating the shooting, which they believe took place when a man opened fire on someone standing near the area where 11 children were playing.

They say the suspect then allegedly fled the scene in a black, four-door 2007 to 2011 Nissan Versa and say they’re searching for both the shooter and the getaway driver.

The five- and nine-year-old girls have both undergone surgery for the injuries they sustained in the shooting and are now in stable condition.

Residents of the neighbourhood where the shooting took place say they are stunned.

Grace Ballantyne, 69, said the shooting took place in a playground that’s a hub of activity for local children.

“This is where they play every day, right next to where they live,” Ballantyne said. “I was shocked.”

The violence at the heart of the community, she said, has left her and her neighbours feeling as though they’re “not safe anywhere.”

Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders has urged the perpetrator’s friends to contact investigators.

“We are putting every resource on this to make sure we apprehend the person who would be motivated to do something like this in the city of Toronto,” he said. “We will be taking aggressive action toward resolving this particular investigation.”