An 18-year-old man has been charged with two counts of first-degree
murder and other offences in a summer block party shooting that killed
two people and injured several others, court records reveal.
In addition to first-degree murder, Shaquan Mesquito has been charged with attempted murder and 23 counts of aggravated assault, CTV News reports.
Police previously charged Mesquito, a Malvern-area resident known as Bam Bam, with making threats prior to the shooting, in addition to nine other offences. He was already in custody on those charges when the new charges were laid Wednesday.
Despite the latest development, police are still trying to identify multiple shooters.
Police Chief Bill Blair is scheduled to speak to reporters at a 10:30 a.m. news conference.
Watch CP24 for live coverage.
The mid-July shooting killed 14-year-old Shyanne Charles and 23-year-old Joshua Yasay, and injured almost two dozen others at a community barbecue on Danzig Street, sparking widespread concern about public safety in Toronto and an increased police presence in the neighbourhood.
Charles and Yasay were caught in the crossfire of the shootout, which police blamed on gang violence.
In September, investigators said the Galloway Boys east-end street gang was the common link between the Danzig Street shooting, the killing of a newcomer last year, and a number of other shootings in Toronto.
Police have struggled at times during their investigation into the double homicide because witnesses and some wounded survivors refuse to speak to officers.
Multiple shooters
Investigators said more than 100 people were present when Galloway Boys members and people from the Malvern area of Scarborough exchanged gunfire at the barbecue.
Five firearms and more than 25 shell casings were recovered as evidence at the scene, and witnesses reported seeing as many as six shooters as people scrambled for safety.
The barbecue began as an event for local children but it went into the night and was overrun by young people as word spread.
People who live outside the Danzig Street housing complex showed up, including Malvern residents, and that created a tense situation because of a turf war between gang members from Galloway and Malvern, police said.
A group of Malvern residents was ordered to leave, but the same group returned with others a short time later, leading to the deadly shootout.
Galloway Boys member Nahom Tsegazab, known as Gifted, was previously charged with recklessly discharging a firearm.
In addition to first-degree murder, Shaquan Mesquito has been charged with attempted murder and 23 counts of aggravated assault, CTV News reports.
Police previously charged Mesquito, a Malvern-area resident known as Bam Bam, with making threats prior to the shooting, in addition to nine other offences. He was already in custody on those charges when the new charges were laid Wednesday.
Despite the latest development, police are still trying to identify multiple shooters.
Police Chief Bill Blair is scheduled to speak to reporters at a 10:30 a.m. news conference.
Watch CP24 for live coverage.
The mid-July shooting killed 14-year-old Shyanne Charles and 23-year-old Joshua Yasay, and injured almost two dozen others at a community barbecue on Danzig Street, sparking widespread concern about public safety in Toronto and an increased police presence in the neighbourhood.
Charles and Yasay were caught in the crossfire of the shootout, which police blamed on gang violence.
In September, investigators said the Galloway Boys east-end street gang was the common link between the Danzig Street shooting, the killing of a newcomer last year, and a number of other shootings in Toronto.
Police have struggled at times during their investigation into the double homicide because witnesses and some wounded survivors refuse to speak to officers.
Multiple shooters
Investigators said more than 100 people were present when Galloway Boys members and people from the Malvern area of Scarborough exchanged gunfire at the barbecue.
Five firearms and more than 25 shell casings were recovered as evidence at the scene, and witnesses reported seeing as many as six shooters as people scrambled for safety.
The barbecue began as an event for local children but it went into the night and was overrun by young people as word spread.
People who live outside the Danzig Street housing complex showed up, including Malvern residents, and that created a tense situation because of a turf war between gang members from Galloway and Malvern, police said.
A group of Malvern residents was ordered to leave, but the same group returned with others a short time later, leading to the deadly shootout.
Galloway Boys member Nahom Tsegazab, known as Gifted, was previously charged with recklessly discharging a firearm.
