Father seeks answers after fatal shooting
Man, 31, gunned down in Oakwood Village drive-by remembered for his acts of kindness
As speculation swirls about the shooting death of his oldest child, a Toronto father has been left grappling with more questions than answers.
Trevor John told the Star he never had an inkling of concern about any looming threat that his namesake, Trevor Dalton John, might have been facing in the days leading up to Tuesday.
That’s when a vehicle pulled up and a shooter fired a barrage of bullets at the 31-year-old father of two, moments after he had left his Oakwood Village apartment complex at about 1 a.m.
The security company owner collapsed just steps from where he was shot. He had been walking his young son, younger brother and his son’s mother, to a vehicle parked outside the lowrise apartment complex on Winona Drive.
John said he’s in the dark about what led to his son’s shooting.
“That’s why it’s so difficult to understand,” he said.
“Although he was a big man, he was very gentle.” he said of his son, who was a towering figure at six-foot-three.
John added he’s now putting his trust in investigators to find those responsible for the shooting.
John said unfortunately speculation is often rife in the aftermath of a homicide, especially when the killers are at-large, and the community is left wondering if the victim was involved in any nefarious activity or was caught up in conflict.
“He just came downstairs to put his younger brother in his friend’s car, to go home,” he said. “These people drove by and slowed down. They just opened fire.”
“I don’t want to jump to any conclusions,” he said.
Trevor Dalton John was one of two shooting victims found near Winona Drive and Vaughan Road around 1 a.m., police said. An unknown number of suspects fled in a vehicle. Investigators wouldn’t say much else when reached for an update Friday.
His father told the Star that he made the trek from his Toronto home to Sunnybrook Hospital, where he was given the news that his son was dead.
The female victim was released from hospital with minor injuries, having been grazed by a bullet, a family friend confirmed.
Trevor John said he’s taken great pride in hearing a flood of anecdotes from his son’s Winona Drive neighbours about his many acts of kindness. Those stories mirrored what the Star heard from residents at the scene this week, with many calling him a nice guy.
“No parent should bury their child, but what I’m getting peace and comfort in is the outpour from the neighbours,” Trevor John said.
Trevor Dalton John was the father of two sons, ages eight and 12. He operated a security firm that provided a variety of crowd control services to numerous clients, including local businesses, events and night clubs.
His father said his son shared his love for sports cars.
And as he makes funeral arrangements, Trevor John said the list of must-haves include steelpan musicians, to mark his son’s love for playing the musical instrument that originated in his father’s native Trinidad and Tobago.
“I was born there, and he was more Trini than me,” Trevor John said.
Erroll Powell said a white car linked to the victims was parked right behind his when gunshots erupted outside the complex.
Powell described Trevor Dalton John as friendly and a “nice guy.”
Powell, 73, said he was woken up by a barrage of loud explosions, but out of fear that it was gunshots, decided not to venture outside until there was calm.
“This brought the violence too close to home,” Powell said.
By the time Powell made it outside, around 1:45 a.m., he said police had swarmed the area and the victims had already been taken to hospital, leaving behind a chaotic scene, where police had put down more than two dozen crime scene markers.
Via a GoFundMe campaign, the family has been raising funds to cover funeral expenses and create an education fund for his children. Checked Friday, the campaign had raised more than $17,300.
A candlelight vigil was scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m., outside his Winona Drive address.