Jahvai Roy, who was killed by a stray bullet on Saturday, was part of a youth council and worked on an anti-bullying campaign.Courtesy of family
Jahvai Roy, the eight-year-old boy who was struck and killed by a stray bullet while he was in his bed with his mother early Saturday morning in Toronto, was a budding activist against violence, a family spokesperson said in an interview.
The child, whose death has sparked outrage and calls for action on gun crime, was the youngest member of an organization devoted to stamping out violence in Canada’s largest city, Marcell Wilson said Monday.
“He was a very energetic, happy – genuinely happy, rambunctious, fearless little man who really had a good heart,” said Mr. Wilson, a friend and spokesperson for Jahvai’s family.
Now, Mr. Wilson and Jahvai’s mother, Holly Roy, are calling for more action to help curb gun violence in Toronto.
The shooting happened outside an apartment building near Martha Eaton Way and Trethewey Drive in North York around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, said Detective Sergeant Jason Davis of the Toronto Police Service.
Toronto police investigating after stray bullet kills a child
In a social-media post, Ms. Roy said that Jahvai couldn’t sleep as he was excited for his friend’s coming birthday party. She and Jahvai were in bed together when they heard what sounded like fireworks. Jahvai sat up and was struck by additional shots that came through the window, Ms. Roy said.
Det. Sgt. Davis said that police have spoken with witnesses but don’t yet have a suspect or vehicle description.
“What’s happened here is a cowardly, disgusting act of violence, and every resource available in the city is being allocated to this right now,” Det. Sgt. Davis said.
Mr. Wilson is the founder of the One by One Movement, an organization that works to decrease extreme acts of violence in Toronto through social programs.
Jahvai was part of the organization’s child and youth council and worked on an anti-bullying campaign that brought together kids from different backgrounds from across the city, Mr. Wilson said.
He said he and Ms. Roy hope that Jahvai’s death can help lead to concrete action to reduce gun violence.
In the short term, Mr. Wilson said, “we need to stop the flow of illegal firearms getting into our cities.” In the longer term, policy makers need to think about investing in crime prevention, he added.
He said he’d like to see resources on violence prevention offered to expecting parents, as well as in early childhood education.
“It needs to become, unfortunately, a part of our daily life – a piece of society that is constantly talked about,” Mr. Wilson said.
Referring to Jahvai, he said, “He died laying in his bed with his mother and it’s just a topic that needs to be on everybody’s mouth, on everyone’s lips, every day in every household, moving forward.”
In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she had a long and difficult conversation with Ms. Roy after the shooting.
“I told her, we’ll do what we can to reduce gun violence, because these reckless and violent acts have devastating impact on our community,” the mayor said.
According to Toronto Police data, 88 per cent of the guns seized by the service in 2024 could be traced back to the United States, a statistic that Ms. Chow cited.
Ms. Chow said she’s met with the federal Public Safety Minister about cracking down on illegal guns at the border.
At the municipal level, she said she’s taken measures such as hiring 360 new police officers annually for the next five years, and implementing a summer safety plan drafted by the youth task force that opened up recreation programs for 3,000 additional young people.
Ms. Chow also pointed to police data showing that gun violence is down from last year, with 14 deaths so far in 2025, down from 29 a year ago.
“But one shooting is too many and one grieving mother is too many,” Ms. Chow added.
City councillor Frances Nunziata – who has represented York South-Weston, the ward in which the shooting took place, since 1997 – said she’s heard from constituents who are worried about gun violence.
“This is an opportunity for the community to come together and support each other,” Ms. Nunziata said, “and to be advocates for stronger gun laws, bail reform and entrenched services to help our families who are dealing with these tragedies.”