'Small group of people' to blame as shooting deaths more than double in Toronto, Mayor Tory says

Shooting deaths in the city of Toronto have more than doubled from this time last year, a trend that Mayor John Tory says he is "deeply concerned" about.

According to Toronto police, the number of people killed by guns is up from 12 at this time last year to 25 so far this year. Homicides, meanwhile, are up by 43 per cent from 28 this time last year to 40.

"If it was one shooting, it was one too many," Tory said when asked at a parks-related announcement Wednesday about the violence marring the city this summer.

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But while concerned, the mayor also suggested that the incidents aren't simply random.

"The incidents we are seeing here, by and large, result from the activities of a very small group of people who have issues with one another and that's not excusing it, it's not minimizing it," he said.

"They tend to be involved in disputes with each other, in retaliation with each other, and it's leading to more of these incidents."

'Arresting people on a regular basis'

It's those incidents that police are trying to target, Tory said, adding that support from the federal government can go a long way to helping curb gun violence in the city.

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In June, Tory announced that the federal government "stepped up" to provide immediate funding for more than 100 new summer jobs to curb gun violence in Toronto. The $600,000 investment in new jobs in the northwest area of the city was part of the federally funded Summer Work Experience Program.

At a community consultation in Rexdale on Wednesday evening, Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders reiterated the role of the federal government in making Toronto safer, acknowledging that "there is a prevalence of guns that are in the city."

"We're arresting people on a regular basis, we're taking guns off the streets, many guns off the streets, but we need to work in partnership with all levels of government to see what we can do to reduce the gun accessibility that's taking place right now," he said.

But some at Wednesday's consultation said police also need to acknowledge how their own methods may dissuade people in certain communities from wanting to co-operate with them.

'A history of distrust'

"No community really wants to live in fear, no community wants to live with a whole bunch of people dying around them," Rexdale resident Paul Bailey said.

"If the police are there to help us in a way that doesn't also make us the suspects, I think a lot more people would be willing to come forward and work with the police in a much more proactive way."

Dave D'Oyen agreed.

"There are always root causes to something," he said.

"In certain neighbourhoods, neighbourhoods that for example we would call 'priority neighbourhoods'... there's been a history of distrust, there's been a history of over-policing. So you have these communities that are somewhat living in fear but there's a certain sense of anger there as well," he said.

Building back broken relationships

For his part, Tory said he's been in regular contact with Saunders about the violence.

"I am completely satisfied that he is embarking upon every effort and initiative that he can," Tory said Wednesday.

But for D'Oyen, one of the keys to making Toronto safer will lie in rebuilding communities' trust with police.

"In order for policing to be effective, in order to bring community policing back, it's going to have to start with building the relationships that have been broken."