One teen accused of murder. Another in mourning
Toronto Star|June 26, 2024
Victim's son is left searching for answers after charges laid in Etobicoke shooting
EMILY FAGAN, JENNIFER PAGLIARO AND CALVI LEON
One teen accused of murder. Another in mourning

At 14 years old, Seymour Gibbs Jr. is grappling with the daunting reality of living the rest of his life without his father. In his grief, he's questioned who would be so brazen and cold-blooded to unload a torrent of bullets on a community gathering, killing two men and leaving three others injured in an Etobicoke schoolyard.

The revelation this week that police believe a boy his same age is one of two suspects responsible for the mass shooting has only made the tragedy harder to understand.

"I just want them to know that what they did was cruel," said Gibbs Jr., who, speaking to the Star, still talked about his dad in the present tense.

Earlier this month, two people opened fire after exiting a pickup truck that had pulled up at North Albion Collegiate Institute, where a group was gathered to relax and socialize after a soccer game.

Gibbs's father and another man were killed.

Police charged a 14-year-old with two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder after at least 50 bullets were allegedly fired into the group outside the north Etobicoke school on June 2.

"It's really sad to me that someone my age would be doing that," Gibbs Jr. said of the allegations, questioning whether an older influence was involved in what led to the incident.

"I just feel like it wouldn't really be their choice, they'd be peer pressured into doing it."

Seymour Gibbs Sr. died in hospital less than three days after the shooting. Delroy (George) Parkes, 61, had died in hospital shortly after the incident.

Police said they believe two people fired shots after stepping out of a dark pickup truck and they are looking for at least one other suspect.

The targets are believed to have been random.

In court on Tuesday, the names of victims and their families were read out and the 14-year-old charged was told not to contact them. He had one question: "Who are those people?"

This story is from the June 26, 2024 edition of Toronto Star.

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This story is from the June 26, 2024 edition of Toronto Star.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.