REGENT PARK TV NEWS – Police arrests in killing of Regent Park Mentor

By Fred Alvardo
(Fred is a journalist with the Focus Media Arts Centre)

RPTV Weekly News presents news that impact on Regent Park and the surrounding areas. Episode 16 for the week of December 17th to December 24th, 2021 features segments on:

• (1:36) Police Arrest Two In Killing Of Regent Park Mentor Thane Murray. Third Man Wanted.
• (5:13) Toronto Community Housing Celebrates The Official opening Of The Centre For Advancing The Interests Of Black People.
• (10:10) Ryerson University Renaming To Be Guided By Opinion Survey And Campus Committee.
• (11:54 ) The SDP Planning Committee Begins The Development Of A Work Plan for 2022.
• (16:23) The December 13th Executive Directors Network Finalises Their Terms Of Reference & Are Updated on the Rezoning Process for Phase 4 & 5 of Regent Park Redevelopment.
• (23:11) RPTV News Visits The Women's Martial Arts Program.
• (26:42) Cultural Bazaar Holiday Market At Daniels Spectrum.
• (27:18) Covid-19 and Vaccination Update.
• (30:51) Events in Regent Park. • (34:33) Jobs in Regent Park.

*
The following is one of the segments featured in this episode.

Police arrest two in killing of Regent Park mentor Thane Murray. Third man wanted.

Two men have been arrested for first-degree murder and a third is wanted by police in the fatal shooting of Thane Murray, a Regent Park mentor gunned down in a hail of bullets

Two men have been arrested for first-degree murder and a third is wanted by police in the fatal shooting of Thane Murray, a Regent Park mentor gunned down in a hail of bullets early on a warm September night.

Police announced the arrests three months after the high-profile death of Murray, a beloved, 27-year-old community leader and City of Toronto employee who was one of three men shot while walking in Regent Park, allegedly by multiple shooters.

The Sept. 18 shooting near Oak and Sumach streets was described as “disturbing” by police in part due to sheer number of bullets fired: investigators found more than 50 shell casings on the scene, and police also reviewed a surveillance video posted on social media that appeared to capture what sounded like dozens of gunshots in less than 20 seconds.

The shooting left many in the Regent Park community feeling terrorized by violence and reeling from the loss of a cherished community leader. On Wednesday, Sureya Ibrahim, a Regent Park resident and co-founder of a gun violence support group, called the arrests a “relief” for the neighbourhood and Murray’s family.

“There has to be some accountability,” Ibrahim said. “This is huge.”

On Monday and Tuesday Toronto police arrested Noah Anderson, 20, and Junior Jahmal Harvey, 20, and charged them with one count each of first-degree murder. Both men also face two counts each of attempted murder stemming from injuries caused to two other young men.

In a statement Wednesday, police said one man who suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting has since been released from hospital, while another man who suffered life-threatening injuries is still receiving treatment.

Police also issued an arrest warrant for a third man wanted for the same charges. Jabreel Elmi, 27, of Toronto is described as five-foot-seven, 180 pounds with a stocky build.

“Our investigators do tremendous work every day to solve these cases and ultimately provide answers for families and loved ones,” Toronto police Insp. Hank Idsinga, the head of the homicide squad, said in a statement Wednesday.

“This would not be possible without our communities and the close relationships we have developed,” Idsinga said.

The detective leading the investigation declined to comment on the case Wednesday, but police said shortly after the shooting that there was nothing to suggest that Murray or the two other young men who were shot were specifically targeted.

“It looks like (the shooters) showed up in this area looking for anyone that might be in the area, as disturbing as that sounds,” Toronto police Det.-Sgt. Terry Browne told in September.

Murray was a City of Toronto employee who worked in recreation programs across the city and was a familiar face in Regent Park, where he bonded with youth at after-school programs and served as a mentor and friend to many.