Rev. Wendell Gibbs, º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøpolice chaplain, ministers to a group gathered for a prayer walk in Lawrence Heights with Chief Myron Demkiw and other police leaders in attendance.
Rev. Wendell Gibbs, º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøpolice chaplain, ministers to a group gathered for a prayer walk in Lawrence Heights with Chief Myron Demkiw and other police leaders in attendance.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow officers, community members and faith leaders, º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøpolice Chief Myron Demkiw took the hands of the people next to him.
As the group — one of 16 such prayer walks organized across the city on Thursday — began their tour in the heat of the afternoon, Gibbs said the purpose was to show a community experiencing ongoing gun violence that they care.
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“We understand the pain and the conflicts you are going through, and maybe this is just another opportunity to embrace each other and have a wholesome, peaceful community like the others across the city of Toronto,” he said.
The group stopped again at a corner of º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøCommunity Housing blocks slated for redevelopment, which was first approved by city council in 2011 and remains in the early phases.
There, community officers who are embedded in this neighbourhood said one of the homes had been a target for shooting before its resident moved; a constant source of insecurity for the neighbours.
Demkiw told reporters following the prayer walk that, beyond the symbolism of the event, his officers had made practical steps toward improving safety.
Since Ahmed-Mohamoud’s shooting, a command post vehicle staffed with officers has remained in Lawrence Heights, something Demkiw vowed would remain until a more formal community hub could be established.
Still, standing outside a community centre that was slated for replacement — a promise that has yet to be fulfilled — Demkiw acknowledged the rise in youth violence demands additional community resources to address issues like poverty, affordable housing and systemic racism.
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“There is a time for action, and the time is now,” Demkiw said. “It’s a call to action when you see what’s happening with our young people, especially when it relates to gun violence.”
“It is not just the police, it’s going to take multiple sectors coming together in a unique way, and I do see that as my role to advocate for that.”
Though the number of shootings in the city has dramatically decreased from this time last year — 200, down from 333 at the same point in 2024 — communities like Lawrence Heights remain scarred by violent outbursts like the one this summer.Â
And despite fewer shootings, 80 people have been injured and 16 killed by gunfire so far this year, compared to 86 injured and 33 killed in 2024.
Jennifer Pagliaro is a Toronto-based crime reporter for the
Star. Follow her on Twitter: .
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