A man shot dead in the north is the 89th homicide committed in Toronto this year – an unprecedented record set in 1991

The shooting death of 22-year-old Yohannes Brhanu on Wednesday night north of Toronto marks the 89th homicide committed this year in the city, a record-breaking record that has been unmatched for nearly three decades.

Police intervened on Ann Arbor Road near Albion and Weston Roads around midnight after several callers said they had heard several shots.

At a Wednesday press conference, Detective Sergeant Mike Carbone said that at least four guns – probably handguns – had been used during the fatal attack.

Although he did not specify who shot with the firearms, he added that the victim was also armed and that 10 to 20 bullets would have been found.

"The amount of firepower available in this quiet residential street worries us," said the acting inspector. Hank Idsinga, who also attended the event to meet with reporters on the latest murder of the city.

The police found Brhanu seriously injured and "without vital signs" inside a vehicle on the scene. He was taken to the Sunnybrook Hospital Trauma Center, where he died as a result of his injuries.

The police did not have information about any suspects and could not tell if Brhanu had been shot while he was inside the vehicle or where he was there. went after.

Carbone said the evidence suggests that Brhanu was the intended victim.

"The call here today is to talk to witnesses who have an unaltered version of what they've seen," he said.

Homicide detectives and forensic investigators were on the scene Wednesday morning. The police also used canine units to help search the area around the scene, said Det Sgt Toronto Police. Jim Gotell.

Carbon said that at this stage of the investigation, there was no information suggesting that violent reprisals would follow this incident.

Gang violence is a contributing factor

The death of the victim brings the total number of murders in Toronto to 89 this year, the highest number of homicides in the city in a single year since 1991.

"Gang violence is certainly a contributing factor, but it's not the only factor," Idsinga said when he spoke upward.

Although Toronto remains a relatively safe city in terms of violent crime rates, 2018 has been tainted by a number of high-profile shootings. Among those who aroused the public's anger were a school playground shootout in Scarborough, which injured two young girls, the murder of two young men in the light of day, linked to the hip-hop scene of the day. city ​​and a mbadive shootout during the bustling summer evening on Danforth Avenue.

Police statistics report an increase in the number of firearm deaths in 2018, with 46 registrations registered so far this year, compared with 35 in 2017 and 34 the year before.

Armed violence and its root causes have thus become hot political issues. Mayor John Tory has approved a total ban on handguns within the city limits, while the province and Ottawa have provided new funding for youth programs to provide opportunities for particularly vulnerable youth .

Idsinga said the shooting had increased, as had the public's advice over the past few years.

"We must do everything we can as a city and as a community to do everything we can to calm it down," said Idsinga.

"Let's get those guys off the street."