Toronto police have arrested four more suspects and continue to search for three others who are wanted in connection with a gunfight outside a downtown recording studio last November.
On Thursday afternoon, police provided an update on their investigation into the incident that occurred near Queen Street West and Sudbury Street, just east of Dufferin Street, on the evening of Nov. 11 and resulted in more than 100 shots being fired.
shots, fired, Queen Street West, Toronto police say multiple arrests have been made after an unmarked police car was hit by bullets near Queen Street West and Sudbury Street late Monday night. (Courtney Heels/ CP24)
Investigators said the four suspects were arrested in Mississauga on July 24. They have been identified as 25-year-old Caleb Odulate Stewart, of Toronot; 19-year-old Noah Belnavis-Essue, of Mississauga; and 25-year-old Dylano Williams, also of Toronto. The fourth suspect, an 18-year-old man, cannot be named as he was a minor at the time of the incident.
All four are facing a combined 88 charges, most of which are firearm-related offences.
Police said during the arrests, two firearms were recovered.
Meanwhile, investigators are still looking for three more suspects wanted in connection with the investigation, which has been dubbed “Project Poppie.”
The outstanding suspects have been identified as 25-year-old Olad Olad, of Toronto, and 19-year-old Johnary Walker and 28-year-old Mohamud Kherye, both of Brampton.
They are wanted for 29 firearm-related charges.
Investigators have released images of the wanted suspects and are asking anyone with information about their whereabouts to contact them.
Police said a total of 36 people have been arrested in connection with the investigation.
What happened that night?
The gunfight began when three people arrived in a stolen vehicle and fired at a group gathered at a recording studio for a birthday party, police said.
It escalated when the individuals at the studio returned fire.
“What started as reckless posturing escalated into chaos and we allege they began to fire back at a rival gang, wildly spraying bullets into the street without any regard for human life. It is shocking behaviour that underscores the danger these individuals pose in our communities,” Insp. Paul Krawczyk, of the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force, told reporters during a news conference in January.
They said the suspects in the stolen vehicle took cover behind an unmarked cruiser with two plainclothes officers inside.
The officers, who were in the area for a bail compliance check, narrowly missed being hit by bullets that riddled the car and surrounding buildings, police said.
One of the three suspects in the stolen car was apprehended by officers, but the other two fled the area.
When more officers arrived and searched the scene, they recovered 16 firearms, some of which were discarded in garbage bins.
Police said some of the guns were modified to fire fully automatically. They added that all were traced back to the United States.
Several people in the recording studio were also taken into custody, including one who was found to be in possession of a handgun, police said.
No one was injured or killed in the gunfight, which investigators described as “audacious and reckless.”
“It is nothing short of a miracle that no one was injured or killed, including innocent civilians and our officers,” Supt. Paul MacIntyre, of the Organized Crime Enforcement Unit, said in a news conference at that time, when police released video of the incident.
WARNING: Dramatic video of gun battle outside Toronto recording studio WARNING: Dramatic video of gun battle outside Toronto recording studio
In that video footage, several people can be seen hanging out inside a recording studio while handling various firearms.
“They casually play with the handguns and rest them on their laps before dancing around like it is some kind of celebration,” Krawczyk said, adding that the suspects treated guns “like toys” and lives “like afterthoughts.”
Police have not released the names of the gangs allegedly involved in this shootout.
With files from CP24’s Codi Wilson