Holly Roy, mother of Jahvai Roy, is consoled during a Thursday candlelight vigil in honour of her son.Duane Cole/The Globe and Mail
Speakers at a vigil in Toronto on Thursday evening asked the crowd to say the name of the eight-year-old boy who was killed by a stray bullet last weekend while he was in bed with his mother.
“Jahvai Roy,” the crowd shouted.
Holly Roy, Jahvai’s mother, said she didn’t want her son’s name to be forgotten.
About a hundred community members, friends, family members, police and elected representatives gathered at the vigil outside an apartment building near where Jahvai was killed.
Some wore blue, Jahvai’s favourite colour, while others brought blue flowers and placed them next to framed photos of the child.
Duane Cole/The Globe and Mail
Marcell Wilson, a spokesperson for Jahvai’s family, called on attendees to work together to curb gun violence.
“This is not a fight we can leave on the shoulders of grieving parents or stretched-thin police officers or service teams,” said Mr. Wilson. “This is bigger than any one sector, any one neighborhood – we need all hands on deck.”
Police have said the shooting happened outside an apartment building near Martha Eaton Way and Trethewey Drive in North York around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday.
In a social-media post, Ms. Roy said her son couldn’t sleep that night as he was excited for his friend’s coming birthday party. She and Jahvai were in bed when they heard what sounded like fireworks. Jahvai sat up and was struck by shots that came through the window, Ms. Roy said.
At the vigil on Thursday, Ms. Roy described Jahvai as someone with an energetic and loving spirit that people were drawn to.
“I’m still trying to wrap my mind [around] why he was stolen from us, but I’m going to take that and use it as a fight, as a fight to make change in his honour,” said Ms. Roy.
Eight-year-old victim of stray bullet was a budding anti-violence activist, family spokesperson says
Stephen Paquette drove from Burlington to attend the vigil.
He, like the Roy family, is from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Ontario’s Manitoulin Island on the shores of Lake Huron, Mr. Paquette said.
He said he wanted to honour Jahvai’s spirit.
“He’s with us today, watching. He’s happy. Such a beautiful spirit that comes from his mom, from his family and extended family,” said Mr. Paquette.
Community member Rosanna Araujo said she wanted to support the family and the community by attending the vigil.
Her children sometimes play in the playground in front of the apartment building where Jahvai was killed.
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
Ms. Araujo and her husband, Brandon Lee, run West Toronto Hustle, a basketball non-profit dedicated to serving marginalized, racialized and criminalized youth of Weston Village.
“Essentially, we started it because of kids in this neighbourhood,” said Ms. Araujo.
She said that there are many barriers to youth accessing recreation programs in the community that can help create a sense of belonging and prevent violence.
“Living in the neighbourhood that we live in, there’s just not enough programs and not enough funding and not enough resources and support for these kids,” said Ms. Araujo.
At the vigil, federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree urged people to overcome divisiveness and work together to mitigate gun violence.
“I can’t say if this is preventable or not, but I can say there are steps we can take to make sure that this is not repeated, and that includes getting guns off our streets,” said Mr. Anandasangaree.
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 Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow cited at the vigil.
“We all know, especially the federal government and the police, and we all know we must crack down on those illegal American guns that are flooding our streets,” said Ms. Chow.