Key facts
- Dozens of shootings in Toronto, including at the U.S. Consulate, are linked to a gun-for-hire network.
- Young people are recruited via encrypted messaging apps and paid to carry out attacks, with filming required for payment.
- A police constable was killed during a raid connected to the investigation.
- Nicholas Bennett, 19, faces first-degree murder charges, and Zara Jabbi, 19, is wanted in connection with the consulate shooting.
- Two firearms believed to be involved in over 25 shootings originated in the U.S.
- Investigators are exploring potential links to global terror networks and foreign actors, with one document suggesting an Iraqi national claimed responsibility for the consulate attack.
Toronto police have linked dozens of shootings across the city, including an attack on the U.S. Consulate in March, to a sophisticated, multilayered gun-for-hire network. Police Chief Myron Demkiw stated that young adults and teenagers are recruited through encrypted messaging applications by "bad actors" who pay them to carry out attacks, requiring them to film the incidents for payment.
During a raid last week connected to these shootings, Constable Marc Pinizzotto, 43, was killed. A 19-year-old, Nicholas Bennett, has been charged with his murder. Police have also laid charges against 18-year-olds Jayon Burgher and Sheldon Tracey-Stewart for their alleged roles in some shootings. Authorities are searching for 19-year-old Zara Jabbi, believed to be connected to the consulate attack.
Investigators seized two handguns suspected of being linked to 27 shootings in the Greater Toronto Area, with the firearms believed to have been passed among multiple shooters. Chief Superintendent Joe Matthews indicated that while firearms are connected to numerous incidents, the investigation is ongoing to identify both the perpetrators and those orchestrating them.
Demkiw noted that this trend of "criminals for hire" is part of a broader pattern, with investigators collaborating with the FBI. He suggested that some individuals hiring these criminals aim to instill fear, particularly within the Jewish community, citing similar modus operandi in shootings at synagogues and Jewish schools.
Authorities are also exploring the possibility that the U.S. consulate shooting is connected to a global terror network that has threatened retaliation for U.S. actions against Iran. U.S. court documents indicate that Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, an Iraqi national charged with terrorism in the U.S. for alleged attacks in Europe, may have claimed responsibility for the Toronto consulate incident.