Police chief troubled by brazen gun violence, unsolved killings

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders says any day there's a homicide in the city is not a good day.

By that logic, Toronto has had 68 bad days in 2016, and the year isn't over.

Saunders shared his dismay about the murders 39 of which were the result ofshootings in a year-end interview with CBC Toronto's Dwight Drummond.

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For Saunders, the most troubling killings are the ones that haven't been solved, like that of Candice Rochelle Bobb, a 35-year-old pregnant mother shot to death while riding in the back seat of a car in Rexdale in May.

Solving the crime is not the success story, it's preventing it from happening.Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders

"They all bother me, but that one really resonated very loud," said Saunders, a former homicide detective.

Saunders said nothing police do will bring Bobb back, butpolice still believe there's a good chance at solving the case. Whoever shot her, he said, should know detectives could be one phone call away from the information they need.

"Every single homicide takes its own journey,"he said.

Brazen shootings shock city

Dwight Drummond sits down with Toronto's Police Chief

8 years ago

Duration 2:05

CBC Toronto anchor Dwight Drummond sits down with Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders about gun violence in the city during 2016.

Gun violence has been a major problem for the city this year. According to police statistics, shootings that don't result in any known injuries are up over 40 per cent, while those where someone was hurt or killed were up 21 per cent.

"There is a lot more gunplay," Saunders said, pointing to a January incident where people in two cars exchanged gunfire while driving on the Allen expressway as an example.

Those brazen shootings are concerning front-line officers as well. Drummond, citing police sources, said many officers believe the spike in shootings indicates that more people are carrying weapons.

Saunders said the numbers are troubling, but that they only represent one year and Toronto remains among the safest cities in North America."It's not a pattern,"he said.

Over 900 firearms seized

Police officers, Saunders said, have seized over 900 guns this year, many of them handguns intended to be used in combat, not for target practice. Despite the success, the chief said "the playbook is going to change a little bit," in how police deal with street violence in the new year. He didn't provide specifics.

Mayor John Tory sent a letter to federal government last week asking for tighter gun regulations, in particular the ability to raise red flags if people are amassing multiple handguns.

Saunders said he agrees with Tory that there are gaps when it comes to how weapons are tracked, and he will work with whoever it takes to solve those issues.

The chief also called on community groups and social agencies to do more to stop young men from making bad decisions.

"Solving the crime is not the success story, it's preventing it from happening," he said.

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