Bullets Fly on Ossington
Ossington between Argyle and Humbert is roped off by police tape this morning following a four car gun battle. According to police I spoke to, witnesses reported seeing two Chevy Impalas and a BMW chasing a Honda along Argyle, down Ossington and onto Queen, leaving a spray of bullet casings along the way.
None of the cars or suspects have been located and nobody with bullet wounds has yet reported to a local hospital.
It's been a while since the neighbourhood has seen something like this. Gun shots were more common years ago when police were frequently investigating dust-ups at the local karaoke lounges. Most of them have closed and been replaced by new bars and restaurants.
But now that Ossington has turned into a vibrant late night destination, I wonder whether Ossington's problems have really gone away?
Comments (26)
Where are these bullets purchased? One needs a firearm license to purchase them, but are the information recorded and the information on the license double-checked?
I've been living near/walking through this area for the pastr few years and despite having a couple really cool places to hang out, the area still feels sketch/unsafe. I like to think these incidents are isolated, but the Queen/Ossington intersection was roped off just last week because someone reported gunfire.
The street is still a work in progress. There are a large number of buildings between Queen and Dundas being renovated, including the Vietnamese karaoke bar boarded up in the last picture, which is currently being gutted and rebuilt. Things can only get better when some of the new businesses open (looking forward to Pizzeria Libretto!) and the buildings at Queen and Ossington get knocked down (the CAMH administration building to extend Ossington south of Queen, and that abandoned halfway-house/graffiti-magnet to be replaced with lofts).
I've lived in the area for a few years and I have always felt safe, regardless of the time of day.
Hi Tim,
My name's Irene. I work for the Toronto Sun. We are interested in this story and the pics.
Can you e-mail me at irene.thomaidis@sunmedia.ca with a contact number?
don't do it tim! we've seen too much gun violence sensationalism and scaremongering in the sun already.
irene, tone it down!
Hi Guy,
We just wanted the photo to go with a story, since we simply can't ignore that it happened.
I believe we now have a photographer at the scene.
Also, feedback is always welcome at the Sun, here's the e-mail to send letters to the editor: torsun.editor@sunmedia.ca
Thanks
Ah, gotta luv the blogosphere and interwebs... where actual news and incidents make its rounds to people before mainstream media does.
That propane explosion was the perfect example to how the online community disseminated the event across the world as it happened before the mainstream even woke up.
Anyway, Chris Rock put it best on gun violence, price the bullets so no one could afford it, unless they make payment plans.
i live at foxley and ossington and was awoken last night by the loud pops of gunfire. at first i thought i was making it up - i'd been watching the wire last night and attributed the noise initially to a dream.
but i lived for along time in el salvador and i think i pretty much know what gunshots sounds like now. its unmistakable - completely different from fireworks.
by the time i got up this morning the police tape was long gone, but i asked a passing police officer who told me that something along the times of 10 shots were fired between vehicles.
i'm new to toronto so this was strange indeed.
@ W. K. Lis ... Yes, the licence is checked. But think about it, if you can get the hardware itself smuggled over, getting a case of ammunition to go with it ain't a big deal.
What you should be asking instead is how anyone deters people who would do something this brazen with something as simple as a legal limitation on buying ammunition. I don't have any easy answers myself. :(
... and I was on Ossington all last night, so this is close to home for me, not just a point of principle. :\
Like Tim, I've lived in the neighborhood for a few years now, and I never feel unsafe when I'm out. This incident likely had nothing to do with the neighborhood. It's just an unfortunate choice of street.
I think I'll hit Levack Block for a drink tonight, and Venezia Bakery for custard tarts tomorrow. Hopefully this hasn't hurt their business.
The gunshots woke me up at approx. 4:00 last night. I live at the corner of Argyle and Ossington. I tried to tell myself that it was a car backfiring, but I knew by the sound and number of shots that it had to be guns. I quickly moved my young sleeping son to a bedroom at the back of the house and called 911. The police came to my door around 5 to get a report and confirmrd that it was indeed "gun play". I can't believe it, this neighbourhood had gotten so much better since we moved here 12 years ago. We all have to stand up to demand better gun control laws and longer sentences for offenders.
I'm not sure why we still think that the key to having less gun violence is better gun control. The guys that shoot at other cars on city streets, don't have firearms licenses or buy ammunition at a hunting store, they don't go to firing ranges or keep their guns locked up at night. I really don't think that the guys that will drive down a downtown street shooting at another car will break dozens of laws doing that, but than follow the firearms laws.
Hi Elise ... we should have a drink. I live in the neighborhood too. And I watch The Wire. I'll show you around Toronto ... it's not such a strange place.
Ah yes, another reason for our illiterate to spout off about gun control laws being lax. Guns are illegal in Canada without a shooting range license folks, as you can note these folks were using our streets as a shooting range: They don't have a license.
Their guns were shipped in. They'll continue breaking the laws, no matter the law. Obviously, they were shooting to kill and would have no qualms murdering folks.
What we don't need are more gun restrictions. What we need is justice. Fire a gun with intent to harm or brandish a weapon in a threatening manner? Go to jail for life, do not pass go.
But instead we'll hear Captain Dave Miller spout off about how we need tighter gun control restrictions, ah yes, more laws for us law abiding citizens to endure.
Dear Mr. McKendrick
Watch your stereotyping. If I am "illiterate" for my support of tighter gun control laws and stricter penalties for weapon charges than you must be a gun-lovin', American flag-wavin', Grand Theft Auto playin' guy with a mullet. I agree that gun control laws will not drastically reduce the number of illegal guns on the street (except from those stolen from "licensed" owners), however, the banning of handguns sends a message that absolutely no-one in an urban setting requires firearms in their homes. If "gun enthusiasts" need a hobby they should stick to their monster truck rallies and pig roasts. How's that for stereotyping?
it seems as though Ossington has become the new Richmond St on weekends.......it could be a preview for what is about to come
on the other hand, I have lived in the area for the past three years, and its always been pretty safe for me......
"... however, the banning of handguns sends a message that absolutely no-one in an urban setting requires firearms in their homes."
1) Handguns are by far a tiny minority of legally-owned weapons; banning them most certainly does not "send a message" that nobody needs a gun at home, but merely limits the type of gun, and only to those who respect the law in the first place. Also, the 2003 double-murder shooting on Ossington was committed with shotguns, I might remind you.
2) "Sending a message" is about the most played out excuse for action there is ... the entire sentiment is devoid of meaning. The only action I think anyone wishes to see, at this point, are those that will result in actual change. The entire authority system of Toronto has been "sending a message" to these "gun play" people from the rooftops, and guess what ... they're not listening. Save your "message".
The reality is that Canada actually has really good, fairly well-thought out, comprehensive gun control. I like it that way (and believe in gun control). The disquieting and strange problem is that, even in the face of all that, these incidents persist. Demanding "strict gun control" when we in fact enjoy strict gun control is not getting anyone very far. We're already there. Time for another strategy.
I live in Washington, DC where this sort of thing happens all the time. I would say that in my neighborhood there is at least one incident per week of gunfire. In the past month I can think of two specific gun related murders that have happened nearby. It feels like Beirut sometimes. Be glad you live in Canada where this sort of thing is, relatively speaking, unusual.
I am glad I live where I do. I love my home, I love my neighbourhood, and I feel very fortunate that this is not a common occurrence here. Having said that, when I am lying in bed next to my husband and baby, and I hear gunfire literally outside my bedroom window, it scares the shit out of me. I live on Ossington, about half a block north of where this happened. Had these guys decided to make a left onto Ossington instead of a right, they would have driven past a large townhouse complex, that happens to have bedrooms at ground level. It is conceivable, if not probable, that one of those bullets could have come through my window, or the window of one of my neighbours. Nobody was hurt, and for that I am truly grateful. I'm not sure where life went wrong for the people who did this - or for anyone who commits a violent crime - and I'm not sure what the solution is. All I know is that while some of you might be out tonight at Levack Block or the Crooked Star ensuring that their businesses don't go broke because of this incident, I will kiss my daughter goodnight, tuck her into her crib on the other side of the house, and thank God those guys didn't turn left that night.
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