Police unsure if fatal shootings are linked

Three dead in two incidents in same area of Scarborough

It’s too soon to tell if two fatal shootings that left three people dead in the same area of Scarborough within 24 hours on the weekend are connected, Toronto police say.

Rinaldo Cole, 33, and Dwayne Campbell, 30, were shot and killed at a birthday party near Morningside Ave. and Sheppard Ave. E. early Sunday. Another man, who police have not yet identified, was gunned down less than a kilometre away that evening.

“We have to consider the possibility but it’s just too early in the investigation,” Toronto police spokesperson Mark Pugash said Monday. “The officers are in the early stages, they’re uncovering all sorts of information.”

Cole and Campbell were killed at about 1 a.m. Sunday at a backyard birthday celebration on Gennela Square.

Elma Lewis, who hosted the party, told the Star she didn’t know the men. Some guests were children, while others were as old as 80, Lewis said. Her daughter, who police have not named, was also seriously injured in the shooting. Though more than 200 people were at the party, potential witnesses weren’t co-operating with investigators, Toronto police Det. Rob North told reporters Sunday.

Later that day, at 6:45 p.m., another man was shot dead just west of the first crime scene.

Officers found the victim, a man in his 20s, while responding to reports of gunshots at Empringham Dr. and McLevin Ave., in the Malvern area.

Another man in his mid-20s was seen speeding away from the area on McLevin Ave. in a light-coloured, four-door sedan, police said. Investigators said he was brown with some facial hair and wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

Pugash said he understands why people who live nearby may be worried. Police have added extra patrol officers in the area, he added.

“Any homicide in this city under whatever circumstances is concerning,” he said. “I can certainly understand the anxiety of people in that area.”

Clusters of homicides — where a few happen in a short period of time — are relatively common, and happen about six to 10 times per year, Pugash said.

In fact, homicides are down compared to last year, he added.

There have been 26 homicides so far this year, compared to 44 at this point in 2016. “That doesn’t diminish for a second the seriousness of it, but it’s useful perspective,” Pugash said.