A Mother of Toronto whose eight -year -old son was killed by a lost bullet during the weekend says he had the “best spirit” despite experiencing trauma at an early age.
Before Holly Roy lost his son, Jahvai, before armed violence, two of his other children were also touched by him.
Roy told CBC Toronto that his older one, a son, survived a shooting in 2019 and his second son, a daughter, was intimidated and threatened with armed violence in 2022.
While younger than the other two, Jahvai wanted to take care of his brothers, Roy said, remembering him as a loving child.
“He testified so much trauma in his little life and still had the best spirit and was very friendly,” said Roy, who works as a case administrator for the INAGB indigenous youth agency, whose objective is to provide indigenous young people and opportunities.
“That is what makes this so difficult. It was so gentle and affectionate with me. I just wanted to do things easier because I knew we had it hard.”
Roy said the pain is raw while heading north of Ontario to bury his son.
According to Marcell Wilson, a family friend, Jahvai was excited before the shooting on a birthday party of a friend who was approaching. Wilson is also the founder of the One By One movement, a group of experts that aims to reduce armed violence.
Wilson told CBC Radio Metro tomorrow On Monday, Jahvai and his mother were lying down, preparing to sleep, when they hear shots outside. The shots scared them and Jahvai sat down and was beaten by a bullet, Wilson said.
Roy described the incident in North York in a Facebook post on Sunday.
“We were in bed! I was lying beside me and then we heard the shots!
Toronto Police said Jahvai died at the hospital on Saturday after he was hit by a street bullet in an apartment building in the Martha Eaton Way and Trethewey Drive area, near Black Creek Drive.
The officers responded to the call around 12:30 am, the suspects fled the scene before the officers arrived, police said. Jahvai was urgently taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead. He is the victim of homicide of the year 26 of the city.
Detective calls shoot ‘act of unpleasant violence’
Det.-SGT. Jason Davis, a member of the Police Homicide Unit and missing people, told journalists on Saturday that the shooting occurred outside the building. Two other apartments units were beaten by shooting, but no one was injured.
The police have not said how many shooters there were, who was pointed to the shooters or if the shooting was attacked or not.
“What happened here is an act of cowardly and disgusting violence and all the resources available in the city are being assigned to this at this time,” Davis said.
Davis said the police do not have a description of a suspect or an escape vehicle, but said that a group of people was stopped in a recess courtyard near the building at the time of the shooting. The police are appealing that the people who were in the recess courtyard were presented. The police have already talked to some witnesses, he said.
French lawyer Nunziata, who represents Ward 5, York South-Weston, said he felt ill when they told him about the shooting.
“I was surprised, and I mean, just sick stomach,” said Nunziata.
“There are too many weapons on the street. We have young children who walk with weapons, only in the community, in the parks, on the street … I have never seen it so badly. We have more weapons on the street than before.”
She said she plans to organize a community meeting soon on armed violence in the area.
According to Nunziata, the shooters were on the sidewalk and began shooting towards the building. She said the bullets hit the building and crossed the window.
A community vigil is planned for Thursday outside the Apartment building, 15 Martha Eaton Way, at 5 pm in honor of Jahvai.
