Investigators with the York Regional Homicide Unit released additional images of the suspect and suspect vehicle following a fatal shooting that occurred at the Moka Cafe in the City of Vaughan.
In the aftermath of the deadly shooting at a Woodbridge, Ont., café that killed two and injured two more, experts say residents of the area around the business will now face the long-term impact violent crime can have on a community.
Police released new surveillance photos Friday afternoon of a suspect they say entered the establishment Wednesday morning "with a purpose," and are asking the public to identify the man. He is described as 5-foot-11, wearing a light grey Nike hoodie, black Adidas track pants and with a mask covering his face. His vehicle, which was previously described only as a dark compact, has now been identified by police as a 2011 black Nissan Versa with the licence plate BVLW 273.
Shots were fired at Moka, an espresso and gelato bar on Islington Avenue near Highway 7, shortly after 8 a.m Wednesday. Maria Voci, 47, and 24-year-old Christopher De Simone, both of Vaughan, were pronounced dead at the scene. Two other men were taken to hospital where one remains in critical condition while the other is expected to survive, according to a police release.
Ms. Voci was a worker at the café, according to Pat Tredgett, who worked at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch close to the cafe.
"She was a tiny little woman. Well dressed," Ms. Tredgett said, adding she would see Ms. Voci sitting outside the café on sunny days while going to the convenience store next door. When she heard Ms. Voci was one of those killed, she said she was stunned.
"You just don't think of anyone of those stores, or even myself back here in the legion, that someone could walk in ... and start shooting. It could be any one of us," she said.
One of the injured victims is Rocco Di Paola, a Toronto mayoral candidate in last year's municipal elections. A worker at Mr. Di Paola's insurance firm, who would only identify herself as Kim, confirmed Mr. Di Paola had been injured in the shooting, and said no one was at the office to provide additional comment.
Jooyoung Lee, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Toronto, said violent crimes can leave permanent scars on the communities where they occur. Citing examples from cities in the United States, he said people often show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, even if they didn't witness the actual crime.
"One thing that happens in the aftermath of shootings, especially in … safe communities like Vaughan, from what I understand at least, is there's this real surge in a moral panic," Mr. Lee said. "People … are suddenly awakened to the possibility of their own mortality and risk."
Residents in the area had long avoided the café. Arturo Troian, who lives around the corner, said Moka has been a thorn in his side for some time.
"I'm living here for 38 years and it never happened before, anything, before they opened," he said.
Fancy cars, such as Ferraris, often glistened in the parking lot outside Moka, Mr. Troian said, as their owners hung out inside.
Many other residents said they were scared of talking to the media for fear of retaliation from possible members of organized crime they said frequented the cafe.
Police declined to comment during a press conference Thursday whether the killings were linked to organized crime or a possible push to control illegal gambling in the area.
Mr. Lee said often people will gather "quasi-clues" about an area and gather suspicions that way. When a violent crime does occur then, he said, their fears are cemented.
"It just amplifies it .. it actually becomes this circular logic where someone [who] was afraid of the place can say 'Well, see, this is exactly why I didn't want to go there," he said.
In such cases, potential witnesses are not likely to come forward, according to Irvin Waller, a professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa. "So you have to use CCTV, which will give you some things. It will hide some other things," he said.