{"id":80763,"date":"2025-08-19T08:44:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T08:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/80763\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T08:44:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T08:44:08","slug":"mother-of-8-year-old-boy-fatally-shot-in-north-york-vows-to-fight-for-justice-for-her-son","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/80763\/","title":{"rendered":"Mother of 8-year-old boy fatally shot in North York vows to fight for justice for her son"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marcell Wilson, a spokesperson for the family of Jahvai Roy, speaks on the shot the family is experiencing and what needs to be done against gun violence. <\/p>\n

The mother of an eight-year-old boy killed by a stray bullet<\/a> over the weekend at his North York home says her son\u2019s tragic death will not be in vain, that she\u2019ll fight for justice for her son.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember his name!!! Never forget his name!!,\u201d Holly Roy wrote in a social media post.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Jahvai\u2019s mom, who wants her child\u2019s body to be returned to a First Nation on Manitoulin Island, shared new pictures and a video of her late son on social media with the caption: \u201cRest in power my beautiful baby boy. I will love you forever and miss you always.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Holly Roy post Holly Roy, the mother of eight-year-old murder victim Jahvai Roy, is pictured next to a post she made on Facebook about her son on Aug. 18. <\/p>\n

Early Saturday morning, Jahvai was laying in bed with his mom inside their apartment at Martha Eaton Way and Trethewey Drive when gunshots ring out, striking the boy who was pronounced dad in hospital a short time later. The shooter or shooters remain at-large.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy baby was preparing for one of his best friend\u2019s birthday celebration. He was so excited he couldn\u2019t sleep!,\u201d Roy wrote in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n

She went on to say that while they were laying in bed they heard what appeared to be gunshots.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jahvai Roy Jahvai Roy is seen in these photos provided by the family. The 8-year-old boy was struck and killed by a stray bullet on Saturday, Aug. 18, 2025. (Supplied) <\/p>\n

\u201cMy baby sat up. The last look he gave me was fear! Then another three shots and I felt glass hit my face. I went to grab my son to put him on the floor and he was lifeless! It was instant,\u201d Roy shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis blood sprayed all over me. I couldn\u2019t even look at him. I knew where the bullet went! I ran with my son\u2019s lifeless body to my doorway. The devastation my kids witnessed. There was nothing I can do but scream and hold his lifeless little body. I cannot get that image out of my head. I cannot unwelcome everything in that moment. I cannot unsee and feel my baby\u2019s blood on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candlelight vigil for Jahvai, rally against gun violence happening this week<\/p>\n

A candlelight vigil for Jahvai will be held on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. outside of the family\u2019s home at 15 Martha Eaton Way.<\/p>\n

Attendees are asked to bring candles, flowers, photos, and any words or memories they\u2019d like to share.<\/p>\n

Local policitians, city officials, and Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw will also be in attandance.<\/p>\n

It should also be noted that a community town hall on gun violence in Youth South-Weston that was origianlly scheduled for October has been pushed up to September. <\/p>\n

A rally against gun violence has also been organized on Friday from 10 a.m. to noon outside Toronto City Hall at 100 Queen St. W. <\/p>\n

Victim was a \u2018happy little guy, a genuinely good kid,\u2019 says family rep<\/p>\n

Family spokesperson Marcell Wilson, who is the founder and president of the One by One Movement, is remembering Jahvai as a \u201chappy little guy, a genuinely a good kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just two years ago, Jahvai was featured in an anti-bullying video by Wilson\u2019s organization, where the then-six-year-old urged people to \u201cbe nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hoping this can become a beacon. \u2026 This is finally the point where people are fed up and have had enough,\u201d said the former gang member, who said that Jahvai\u2019s death should spark change.<\/p>\n

Wilson is also urging those angered by the fatal shooting to not pick up a gun in revenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know it feels like you\u2019re getting retribution. But you\u2019re becoming the thing you want to stop. Don\u2019t become what they are,\u201d he said, adding that isn\u2019t what Jahvai would have wanted.<\/p>\n

\"\"Marcell Wilson Marcell Wilson, the founder and president of the One by One Movement, is a spokesperson for the Roy family. <\/p>\n

A crowdfunding campaign<\/a> created by family friends said Jahvai was an \u201cinnocent child who was taken from this world far too soon\u201d \u2026 killed in a \u201csenseless act of violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite every parent\u2019s instinct to keep their children safe at home, that sanctuary was shattered in an instant,\u201d the page\u2019s organizer, Charlene Small, wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cJahvai was a joyful, bright, and loving little boy. His life, full of promise and potential, was stolen in a moment no family should ever have to endure. The grief his loved ones now carry is beyond words.\u201d<\/p>\n

Small went on to say that as the investigation continues, they call on the community \u201cto come together and lift up this grieving family. \u2026 Let us honor Jahvai by standing against violence and showing his family that they are not alone in this fight for justice and healing,\u201d <\/p>\n

Community leaders say youth need opportunities <\/p>\n

Speaking with CP24 late Monday afternoon, Destin Bujang, who co-founded and serves as the executive director of the Black Creek Youth Initiative (BCYI), said if feels like there\u2019s an \u201cendless cycle of violence\u201d in his community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t stop. It is back-to-back. \u2026 (A lot of young people) are scared now. They don\u2019t want to come out, they don\u2019t want to do anything. If you can be caught by a bullet in your house \u2013 think about just going down to the grocery store, think about going to get a coffee from Tim Horton\u2019s, think about us standing here right now,\u201d he told CP24\u2019s Steve Ryan on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do feel for the family. I cannot imagine what they\u2019re going through right now and my heart, the community\u2019s heart goes out to the family. We are short of words. We don\u2019t know what to say.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"Destin Bujang Destin Bujang is the co-founder and executive director of the Black Creek Youth Initiative. <\/p>\n

Bujang said his organization works with young people in the Black Creek community, where this weekend\u2019s fatal shooting occurred, to help them navigate challenges and traumatic situations, but also to provide them with mentorship, to connect them to different resources and a spectrum of programs, and to \u201ccreate a safe and inclusive space for them.\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to find unorthodox ways to do counselling. It might be taking them out for coffee on their birthday, taking them out to a fancy restaurant, just to help change their environment. We\u2019re not scared to have those conversations because they have seen it before. They\u2019re living it.\u201d<\/p>\n

With funding from the city, BCYI also does work around prevention and intervention, Bujang noted.<\/p>\n

\"\"Shaneeza Nazseer Ally Shaneeza Nazseer Ally is the executive director of the For Youth Initiative. <\/p>\n

On Monday evening, Shaneeza Nazseer Ally, the executive director of the For Youth Initiative, said there are \u201cno words that can justify a loss like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy heart goes out to this family and to all families that have to live in fear,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ally, who has an eight-year-old son, said the gun violence that is being seen in Toronto is a sign of \u201cwhat the deeper issues are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c(It) is like the tip of the iceberg and we need swift and corrective action, the political will to create jobs and paid training opportunities for families and young people to access stable and meaningful employment,\u201d she said, adding that poverty makes our society less safe.<\/p>\n

Ally said young people are often forced to make tough choices of missing out on opportunities to support their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat shouldn\u2019t be a choice that young people have to make,\u201d she said, adding the various programs they offer at For Youth Initiative are seen as \u201cprevention and intervention measures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young people, she added, shouldn\u2019t feel like they have no other choice but to turn to crime.<\/p>\n

\"\"Police search, Jahvai Roy Toronto police continue to search for those responsible for the fatal shooting of eight-year-old Jahvai Roy on Aug. 16 in North York. (child’s photo Supplied) Investigation is ongoing<\/p>\n

Toronto police, meanwhile, have made an appeal for witnesses and information, but have yet to release as details about possible suspects.<\/p>\n

Anyone with further information is asked to contact the homicide squad at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.<\/p>\n

With files from CTV News Toronto\u2019s Jon Woodward<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Marcell Wilson, a spokesperson for the family of Jahvai Roy, speaks on the shot the family is experiencing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80764,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[712,49,48,44],"class_list":{"0":"post-80763","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"tag-apple-news","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}