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Two people have been arrested and are now facing a host of charges after a gunshot hit the U.S. consulate in downtown Toronto last week, police say.
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw told reporters at a news conference Thursday morning that one person was arrested Saturday, while another was arrested Wednesday.
Xen-Ul-Abdeen Syed, 19, is facing a total of 15 charges including possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm, an attack on a premises of internationally protected persons, and flight while pursued by a peace officer.
A 15-year-old, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is facing 17 similar charges, which also include six counts of failing to comply with a release order.
The chief told reporters that police believe the pair were offered payment through encrypted messaging apps to carry out the shooting — something investigators say was also the case in a previous shooting at the consulate back in March.
“There has been significant public interest and speculation in who is behind these crimes,” Demkiw said. “That remains a key focus of our investigation.”
Demkiw said the force is working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other law enforcement agencies to identify the people directing and financing these attacks.
Original pursuit called off after high-speed chase
An officer who was stationed near the downtown building on July 27 heard gunfire in the area around 4:45 a.m. that day, Toronto police previously told reporters at the scene.
The officer, who was stationed near the building as part of a regular patrol put in place after the first shooting in March, reported seeing a white Honda Accord with no licence plates speed away from the scene.
Police briefly pursued the vehicle on the Don Valley Parkway near Don Mills Road before calling off the chase due to safety concerns over excessive speed, investigators said.
Police said a single shell casing was found near the consulate, and the building’s facade was damaged.
A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy said in an email last week there were no injuries. The vehicle was later found abandoned in Scarborough, investigators say.
Police say they believe Syed and the 15-year-old were the only two people inside the car at the time of the shooting, but the investigation is ongoing.
The consulate was previously targeted on March 10, when two suspects allegedly fired multiple shots at the building before fleeing in a stolen vehicle. Two people have since been arrested and charged in that case, though those charges have not yet been tested in court.
Pair also linked to Caledon arson: investigators
On top of last week’s shooting at the consulate, police are also alleging the two accused in the case were responsible for an arson in Caledon, Ont., on July 24.
Investigators say the pair were driving a stolen vehicle around 9:45 p.m. when they filled a red jerry can at a gas station in the Kingston Road and McCowan Road area in Scarborough.
Chief Myron Demkiw updates reporters on last week’s shooting at the U.S. Consulate during Thursday’s news conference. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
They then allegedly drove to a residential street in the Queen Street West and Mississauga Road area in Caledon where they poured gas on a vehicle in a driveway and lit it on fire before taking off, police say. No injuries were reported.
During Thursday’s news conference, Demkiw highlighted the importance of the federal government’s controversial Bill C-22, which he said would provide police with the means to deal with “modern, digital communication” like encrypted messaging apps.
“If law enforcement does not have the tools needed to prevent violence that is planned and paid for through encrypted messaging apps, it ultimately is our communities that suffer,” Demkiw said.
WATCH | Surveillance footage from shooting incident:
Demkiw also spoke about the need for “proper deterrence and justice reform,” given both accused in the case were previously known to police and have been charged with failing to comply with court orders.
Other parts of the justice system need to “step up and do their job,” he said, including the courts and agencies that support young people who “find themselves in conflict with the law.”
“We will keep arresting them, but it’s high time we stop the revolving door of young people and young adults being engaged in this kind of brazen activity time and time again in our public spaces,” Demkiw said.
“We need that cycle to stop.”