Police are investigating a possible gang connection in the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy Monday morning.
The teen was shot in the face around 2 a.m. after he answered the door of an apartment above DJ Records and Clothing at 2508 Eglinton Ave. W. near Keele St. He was taken to Sunnybrook hospital, where he was pronounced dead, EMS officials said. He would have been 16 on July 17.
It was Toronto’s 16th homicide of the year. Police declined to release the victim’s name or whether he lived in the apartment where the shooting occurred, but residents of the building said it happened in a unit where his girlfriend lived.
Three distraught teenage girls who were at the scene Monday afternoon said the victim had been visiting them for a sleepover when the shooting happened. Friends identified the teen as Devante Beard. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Investigators confirmed the victim was known to police and had a minor record. They’re looking into a possible connection to Project Corral, a city-wide sweep of suspected gang members earlier this month.
Several alleged members of the Five Point Generals were arrested in that operation and face a variety of drug, gun and conspiracy-related charges. Five Point Generals operated in the Eglinton and Keele neighbourhood, police said, and were involved in a turf war last year that led to several killings.
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