It’s the Canadian version of the Truck Stop Killers.Except in this case a pair of Toronto youths have been charged with first degree murder over a a dozen tow truck shootings that terrorized the Golden Horseshoe over the summer.The Toronto Police Service (TPS) said on Wednesday that they had charged a pair of 15 and 16-year old males from Oshawa and Stoufville — who can’t be named — with first degree murder charges related to 13 shootings that took place starting in May, June and July..In addition the pair are facing an additional 154 charges including conspiracy and weapons charges.Eight of the incidents took place over the Canada Day long weekend.Then on July 6, a 28-year old man later identified as Sulakshan Selvasingam of Pickering died in hospital after he was found suffering from gunshot wounds emanating from a rampaging draggin’ wagon.Police allege the shootings were part of a turf war among tow truck operators.“We have taken a dynamic, service-wide approach to the troubling rise in gun crime, and we believe 14% of all firearm discharges and shooting events in our city are connected to an ongoing territory dispute involving a small segment of the tow truck industry,” said TPS Chief Myron Demkiw.It started back in May when the occupant of a dark-colored vehicle took what appeared to be random shots at two parked tow trucks in a parking lot in Scarborough, which was later found abandoned..Police determined a 17-year old male, who also was not identified, had been paid by a third party — 33-year old Jamal Sayed of Oshawa — to perform that shooting.From there it seemed to escalate, resulting in the violent incidents over Canada Day. In addition to 26 tow truck-related shootings in the first six months of the year, TPS reported nine tow truck arsons in April and May.Police blamed ‘territorial disputes’ among rival tow truckers that have been going on for years.In January, two Toronto men were handed life sentences for the murder of tow truck operator Soheil Rafipour in 2018.In March of this year, one of the man’s rivals was gunned down in a hail of bullets outside a north-end Toronto towing firm. Those suspects remain at large.
It’s the Canadian version of the Truck Stop Killers.Except in this case a pair of Toronto youths have been charged with first degree murder over a a dozen tow truck shootings that terrorized the Golden Horseshoe over the summer.The Toronto Police Service (TPS) said on Wednesday that they had charged a pair of 15 and 16-year old males from Oshawa and Stoufville — who can’t be named — with first degree murder charges related to 13 shootings that took place starting in May, June and July..In addition the pair are facing an additional 154 charges including conspiracy and weapons charges.Eight of the incidents took place over the Canada Day long weekend.Then on July 6, a 28-year old man later identified as Sulakshan Selvasingam of Pickering died in hospital after he was found suffering from gunshot wounds emanating from a rampaging draggin’ wagon.Police allege the shootings were part of a turf war among tow truck operators.“We have taken a dynamic, service-wide approach to the troubling rise in gun crime, and we believe 14% of all firearm discharges and shooting events in our city are connected to an ongoing territory dispute involving a small segment of the tow truck industry,” said TPS Chief Myron Demkiw.It started back in May when the occupant of a dark-colored vehicle took what appeared to be random shots at two parked tow trucks in a parking lot in Scarborough, which was later found abandoned..Police determined a 17-year old male, who also was not identified, had been paid by a third party — 33-year old Jamal Sayed of Oshawa — to perform that shooting.From there it seemed to escalate, resulting in the violent incidents over Canada Day. In addition to 26 tow truck-related shootings in the first six months of the year, TPS reported nine tow truck arsons in April and May.Police blamed ‘territorial disputes’ among rival tow truckers that have been going on for years.In January, two Toronto men were handed life sentences for the murder of tow truck operator Soheil Rafipour in 2018.In March of this year, one of the man’s rivals was gunned down in a hail of bullets outside a north-end Toronto towing firm. Those suspects remain at large.
