On Friday, we started the day with a woman shot and killed in Etobicoke<\/a>. In the middle of the afternoon, a man pulled a gun and fired shots in Scarborough.<\/p>\n Then we had the window of Kiva\u2019s Bakery smashed at Steeles Ave. W. and Bathurst St. with police saying they believe the same suspects<\/a> later fired shots at Kiva\u2019s Bagel Bar at Yonge St. and St. Clair Ave. an hour later, just after midnight.<\/p>\n And, of course, we started the week off with a bang after someone fired shots at the U.S. Consulate near University Ave. and Queen St. just before 5 a.m. on Monday.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t worry, the statisticians will tell us gun crime is down.<\/p>\n They are right. Gun crime is down in Ontario. The problem is that the people carrying out the gun crime are far more brazen about it. The shooting at the U.S. Consulate happened with an officer parked in a marked vehicle outside the building.<\/p>\n \u201cYou would expect a highly visible police cruiser stationed right in front of the consulate would act as a deterrent. It perhaps speaks to the brazen quality of this act, the recklessness that\u2019s involved,\u201d said Deputy Chief Frank Barredo.<\/p>\n A high-speed chase ensued and was only called off after police deemed it to be a danger to the public, as speeds topped 140 km\/h on the Don Valley Parkway. If only the criminals carrying out these shootings cared as much about public safety.<\/p>\n Whether in Scarborough in the middle of the afternoon, at Yonge and St. Clair just after midnight or at the U.S. Consulate just before 5 a.m., these are all places where innocent bystanders could be hit.<\/p>\n The same could be said of the shootings at Salsa on St. Clair and Rebel nightclub.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n We apologize, but this video has failed to load.<\/p>\n Play VideoA city that didn\u2019t used to be this way<\/p>\n Hank Idsinga retired as an inspector with Toronto Police<\/a> in 2024 after 34 years on the job. He said that with this many shootings, it\u2019s hard to call the city safe anymore and points out that it wasn\u2019t always this way.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember I was working in 14 Division and we got a call about a guy with a gun. Police officers from Scarborough drove down to see it. They had never seen one on the street,\u201d he told me in a recent episode of the Full Comment Podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cFast-forward now to where the Toronto Police are literally seizing about a dozen guns, crime guns, every single week.\u201d<\/p>\n RECOMMENDED VIDEO We apologize, but this video has failed to load.<\/p>\n Play VideoThe case for tougher consequences<\/p>\n For Idsinga, the solution is simple: Make the risk of carrying a gun higher than the reward of using one.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to make the repercussions for possession of firearms so severe that people simply don\u2019t want to carry firearms. They don\u2019t want to risk that charge. They don\u2019t want to go to jail,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n That isn\u2019t where our political leadership is, either at the municipal level or the federal level. Perhaps that\u2019s where Premier Doug Ford is, but he has little sway here.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s Liberals are hardly tough on crime and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow sets the tone for the Toronto Police Service Board and, therefore, the police service. Under her leadership, Toronto has seen some of the worst spikes in crime in the city\u2019s history, including shootings.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t have to be this way.<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n WARMINGTON: More grief for local cops after Durham recruits involved in fatal crash<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/honda1-e1785180552597.jpg\")
Police are seeking a white late-model Honda Accord with no licence plates that was seen speeding away from the scene of a shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto on Monday, July 27, 2026. Photo by Toronto PoliceA dangerous new level of brazenness<\/p>\n![\"Loading...\"](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/21.7.0\/websites\/images\/common\/icon-spinner-animated.svg\"){kind=icon}
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