A Toronto Police Service forensics officer inspects the scene of a shooting in Toronto, on July 10.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
A man and a woman in their 20s were injured in a drive-by shooting Monday in central Toronto that police say may have been a case of road rage related to stunt driving.
The early morning shooting in the busy area of Yonge and Charles streets is the third high-profile act of violence in the city in the past week. Last Friday, a 44-year-old woman was fatally shot by a stray bullet during a daytime altercation at a busy intersection. The day before, a man was seriously injured in a stabbing on a subway train that was captured on video and widely circulated on social media.
Monday’s shooting happened around 6 a.m., shortly after police received a call regarding stunt driving on Yonge Street involving multiple vehicles, Inspector Michelle Olszevski told reporters at the scene. Police believe the people who participated in the stunt driving were gathered outside 7 Charles Street when a black SUV drove by and fired several shots. The vehicle then fled north on Bay Street.
“There is a possibility that this incident has occurred as the result of a road rage,” Insp. Olszevski said.
Police did not provide details on the number of suspects involved. The two victims were transported to a local trauma centre with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators asked witnesses or nearby businesses with video footage to come forward.
Police are also still searching for three men involved in the dispute that led to the shooting death of 44-year-old Karolina Huebner-Makurat on Friday afternoon in the area of Queen Street East and Carlaw Avenue. Police said Ms. Huebner-Makurat did not know the three men and was simply walking in the area when she was hit by a stray bullet.
The three men were involved in a physical dispute when two of them started shooting at each other with handguns, police said in a weekend news release. All three fled the scene on foot.
Ms. Huebner-Makurat had two daughters, aged seven and four, according to a GoFundMe campaign organized by friends of the family.
Her husband, Adrian Makurat, posted a Facebook message Friday evening asking for privacy.
“Tragic day. Life is short. Hug your loved ones every moment you get the chance,” he wrote.
Also on Friday, police arrested and charged a man in connection with the subway stabbing. Moses Lewin, 25, of no fixed arrest, has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and two counts of failing to comply with a release order.
A video of the incident taken by a passenger on the train was widely shared on social media. Police said two men got into an argument and a physical altercation ensued, during which the victim was stabbed multiple times. The attacker fled the scene when the train stopped at Eglinton station. The victim was transported to hospital with serious injuries.
Dustin Cook