From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #296 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Sender: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Errors-To: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Cdn-Firearms Digest Friday, August 5 2005 Volume 08 : Number 296 In this issue: EDITOR: (You forgot their favourite line -- crime is down) U.S. guns blamed for Toronto bloodbath possession of a firearm contrary to an order. BOY, 13, HELD IN VIOLENT TAXI HEISTS ON PAROLE: Convicted of attempted murder in 2003 Shootings 'spike' as 3 slain; SHOTGUN DRAMA Mayor slammed over guns McGuinty blames smuggled guns for shootings ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 09:20:49 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: EDITOR: (You forgot their favourite line -- crime is down) PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun DATE: 2005.08.05 EDITION: Final SECTION: Editorial/Opinion PAGE: 18 COLUMN: Letters to the Editor WORD COUNT: 566 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR COLUMN - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE LAW of the gun prevailed once more on Toronto's streets ("Boy shot in night of drive-bys," Aug. 4). Six victims in one night, including a 4-year-old child. Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair needs to hunker down and apply proven methods of stifling hard-core criminal activity. For the bleeding hearts who will cry loudest, let them consider the increasing mayhem on city streets, including the injury to innocent children. Take off the gloves, Blair, roll up your sleeves, and let's bring some real pressure on the killer element in our community! Conversely, if you find you cannot match the requirements of your position, resign and let somebody take over who can. Paul Mulhern Toronto EDITOR (Blair uses a slightly different tone, but he sounded very much like Julian Fantino yesterday) ANOTHER DAY, another young man dead and half a dozen or so wounded, including a 4-year-old child in Canada's culture of safety. A 4-year-old! Mayor David Miller blames the Americans. The federal government blames the duck hunters. So who is really to blame for the death and mayhem? Surely it cannot be the criminals and gangs who seem to feel that the streets and nightclubs, schoolyards, public transit, shopping malls and amusement parks of our cities are nothing more than a real-life incarnation of an ultra-violent video game. Were the criminals accountable for their own actions, then surely the courts would apply the minimum sentences already on the books for firearms violence. Clearly that is not the case, so who then is responsible? Justice Minister Irwin Cotler insists that mandatory minimum sentences are not a deterrent to crime, and that the firearms registry is an effective measure against crime. So, just what is he smoking? Frankly, it is long since time that our officials at all levels stop their finger pointing, and holding up partisan sacred cows, like gun registries and anti-Americanism, and actually do something useful -- before any more of our children are shot! Robert S. Sciuk Oshawa EDITOR: (You forgot their favourite line -- crime is down) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 09:21:30 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: U.S. guns blamed for Toronto bloodbath NOTE: Versions of this canadian Press story also ran in the following papers: Kingston Whig Standard, Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Edmonton Sun, Winnipeg Free Press, Charlottetown Guardian, London Free Press, Calgary Herald, Kitchener Waterloo Record, Halifax Daily News, PUBLICATION: The Chronicle-Herald DATE: 2005.08.05 SECTION: Canada PAGE: A3 SOURCE: The Canadian Press BYLINE: Paul Choi WORD COUNT: 446 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. guns blamed for Toronto bloodbath - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TORONTO - Smuggled handguns and gang warfare are fanning the flames of violence and endangering the lives of innocent people, police Chief Bill Blair said Thursday in the wake of a rash of gunplay that left a four-year-old boy among the injured. The "extremely alarming" shootings Wednesday night, which left one man dead and four other people injured, were the result of two gangs involved in a fierce turf war, Blair said as he announced plans for a special task force to tackle the problem of gang violence in the neighbourhood where the shootings occurred. "There is an ongoing dispute between two different groups who are affiliated to urban gangs," said Blair, who refused to identify the gangs involved. "We are very concerned about the impact this violence has had on innocent people." Officers from other investigative departments will be moved to the city's problem neighbourhoods to prevent gun violence and crack down on the suspected gangs in the area, Blair said. "We've been very active in the investigation of these gangs and we are adding more resources there because the level of violence has escalated," he said. "When a child is so recklessly put at risk, it demands an overwhelming response from all of us." The boy, who was shot twice in the leg, was at a Toronto hospital for observation Thursday but is expected to make a full recovery. Craig Reid, 23, faces 58 separate charges, including eight counts of attempted murder. Late Thursday evening, police said three more men, aged 17, 18 and 19, had been arrested in connection with the same shooting. During Thursday's news conference, Blair acknowledged that one of the problems still at the root of gang warfare is the proliferation of firearms, primarily handguns, that are being illegally smuggled in large numbers across the Canada-U.S. border. "Our investigations have revealed at least half of all the firearms in the city of Toronto are being illegally smuggled across our border from the United States." Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty expressed his own distress with the sudden spike in gun violence and promised to raise the issue of "American guns on Canadian streets" at a meeting next week with the U.S. ambassador in Banff, Alta. "If we've come to the point in time where children are becoming victims of drive-by shootings, then something is fundamentally wrong," McGuinty said. It's high time police, the province and Ottawa took a hard look at everything from the laws and sentences that currently govern gun-related crimes to the number of police officers on the streets of Canada's largest city, he added. Blair said many of the guns end up in the hands of gangsters and can often lead to the violent bloodshed seen in the city over the last week. During a 12-hour span on Saturday, a 21-year-old man was shot dead while standing in a crowded city square, a 46-year-old man was shot multiple times in his apartment, and a 26-year-old man was gunned down while waiting near a bank. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 09:21:42 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: possession of a firearm contrary to an order. PUBLICATION: Edmonton Journal DATE: 2005.08.05 EDITION: Final SECTION: CityPlus PAGE: B8 SOURCE: The Edmonton Journal DATELINE: EDMONTON WORD COUNT: 161 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Man charged in seized-gun incident - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EDMONTON - A man was charged Thursday as a result of an incident that ended with an Edmonton police officer accidentally setting off a seized shotgun, injuring himself and a woman with flying dirt. The gun was pointed downward when it fired. It didn't spray pellets because police say someone removed them from a shell. Instead, it blasted air, causing sand and grit to become embedded in the officer's right arm and the woman's left leg. The incident occurred Wednesday after two police officers were sent to 12127 66th Street shortly after 10 a.m. to deal with an argument between a married couple. After they took the man in custody, they went back inside to get the shotgun. Daryl Dwight Ogden, 35, is charged with spousal assault, uttering threats, careless storage of a firearm and possession of a firearm contrary to an order. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 09:21:53 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: BOY, 13, HELD IN VIOLENT TAXI HEISTS PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun DATE: 2005.08.05 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 22 BYLINE: BRODIE FENLON, TORONTO SUN WORD COUNT: 152 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOY, 13, HELD IN VIOLENT TAXI HEISTS - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A 13-YEAR-OLD Toronto boy has been charged in connection with a brazen week-long spree of robberies in which taxi drivers were choked, punched and threatened with a gun. Police said five cab drivers were violently robbed from July 26 to Aug. 2 after picking up a group of males in the downtown core and driving them to the Regent Park area. The drivers suffered minor injuries in the attacks. Three of the cabbies were threatened with a gun. Det. Hugh Wong of 51 Division said the age of the suspect, who can't be identified, is especially troubling to police. "Any robbery involving any innocent person is of concern to us, but it's even more disturbing to witness someone as young as this who -- if you think of it in school terms is in a Grade 7 or 8 -- out there committing these violent acts with the use of a firearm," Wong said. The youth, who is known to police, was arrested Wednesday. A replica firearm also was seized. Police are looking for at least two men also wanted in the robberies. "Hopefully we can put a stop to their crime spree," Wong said. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 09:22:03 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: ON PAROLE: Convicted of attempted murder in 2003 PUBLICATION: The Chronicle-Herald DATE: 2005.08.05 SECTION: NovaScotia PAGE: B2 SOURCE: Court Reporter BYLINE: Sherri Borden Colley WORD COUNT: 447 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boudreau out on day parole; Convicted of attempted murder against estranged wife in 2003 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An elderly Canso man serving a three-year, eight-month sentence in prison for attempting to murder his estranged wife has been released on day parole. On Wednesday, the National Parole Board granted Murdock James Boudreau, 66, day parole to a halfway house for six months after determining his risk to reoffend is manageable in the community. During that period, Mr. Boudreau must have no contact with his victim, except through lawyers, and not use alcohol. In January, Mr. Boudreau lost an appeal of his Jan. 16, 2004, conviction for trying to murder Nancy Boudreau, carrying a rifle and uttering a death threat. On March 10, 2004, a judge sentenced Mr. Boudreau to 60 months in prison and ordered him not to own or possess firearms for the rest of his life. On appeal, his sentence was reduced to 44 months due to time Mr. Boudreau spent in custody awaiting trial. Mrs. Boudreau could not be reached for comment. At Wednesday's parole board hearing, Mr. Boudreau, the father of three adult children, acknowledged how his drinking and financial pressures led to the breakdown of his marriage and to him committing the crimes. "You expressed sincere remorse for your actions and recognize the severe psychological trauma your wife suffered at your hand," the board said. "You admitted to the board that you now realize that you are an alcoholic." A spousal assault risk assessment completed in prison has indicated that Mr. Boudreau poses a high risk of future family violence. "Reintegration potential is assessed as high while motivation level is viewed as medium," parole board members William Innis and Anna Butland wrote in Wednesday's decision. Mr. Boudreau has successfully completed programs for substance abuse and family violence. "Both facilitators indicate that progress was achieved in addressing areas of concern and recommend further treatment through maintenance programs," the panel wrote. The board said it was satisfied that through programming, Mr. Boudreau has acquired sufficient new skills to help him deal with future relationship problems and addiction issues. "The board believes that it is time for you to transfer these skills to the community in a supervised and structured environment," the decision states. The couple had been separated for about a month when Mr. Boudreau arrived at his wife's home in the early morning of June 26, 2003. He was upset about the possibility of having to sell their car or of losing it to the bank. He also accused Mrs. Boudreau of contacting a former boyfriend. Mr. Boudreau left the home, then returned a few minutes later carrying a rifle. Enraged, he pointed the firearm at Mrs. Boudreau with one hand in the trigger area and warned her not to leave the house. Mrs. Boudreau gestured three times for Mr. Boudreau to calm down. Each time, he told her to back up. Fearing for her life, Mrs. Boudreau managed to get past him. She ran out the door wearing just her housecoat and slippers and went across the street to her neighbour's home. The neighbour called police. Mr. Boudreau, still carrying the rifle, ran to the neighbour's veranda and tried unsuccessfully to kick open the door. He told several neighbours that he was going to shoot Mrs. Boudreau. He remained on the veranda for about 10 minutes, fiddling with the rifle. No shots were fired. Shortly after his arrest, Mr. Boudreau told police that he had been thinking of "shooting her all week." The rifle contained three cartridges when police seized it. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 09:22:21 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Shootings 'spike' as 3 slain; PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star DATE: 2005.08.01 EDITION: MET SECTION: News PAGE: B1 BYLINE: Sikander Z. Hashmi and Bob Mitchell SOURCE: Toronto Star ILLUSTRATION: Ron Bull toronto star A frightened resident on the samefloor of the apartment building where Leroy Whittaker was killed Saturday barricades her apartment yesterday with wrought iron dividers. Leroy Whittaker, 46, was fatally shot Saturday afternoon as he came to answer his door. Ron Bull toronto star A frightened resident on the same floor of the apartment building where Leroy Whittaker was killed Saturday barricades her apartment yesterday with wrought iron dividers. WORD COUNT: 699 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shootings 'spike' as 3 slain; '(Even) if I have to go to a shelter, I'm not living here' Police downplay violence as third victim shot to death Man gunned down through closed door of his apartment - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three fatal shootings in 12 hours have jolted the city and left a neighbourhood in fear, but police are downplaying the most recent rash of violence. "When a spike like that happens in the year, we have to remember that this stuff does level out over the average year," Toronto police Staff Insp. Jeff McGuire told a news conference yesterday. Besides the two fatal shootings Saturday, a man was shot dead yesterday at Yonge-Dundas Square at Yonge and Dundas Sts. The first shooting death, the city's 36th homicide of the year, occurred Saturday afternoon on Flemington Rd., near Lawrence Ave. and Allen Rd., in an area that saw two shootings last week. Police do not believe the incidents are related. Leroy Whittaker, 46, was gunned down as he came to answer the door at his Lawrence Heights apartment. A 10-year-old boy inside the apartment, whose relationship to the victim police wouldn't disclose, called 911. Police say the shots were fired through the closed door and do not know if Whittaker was the intended victim. "The aggravating factor obviously in this case is first of all the indiscriminate use of a firearm, firing through the door of the apartment when there was really no way to know who was on the other side," said McGuire. Police are looking for two men between the ages of 25 and 30. One is tall with a thin build and was wearing a white do-rag on his head. The other is shorter than the first suspect and has a stocky build. "I can't believe someone would go kill that poor innocent man," said a former neighbour. "He's so innocent. That man give trouble to no one." Yesterday, police tape blocked off an area marked by a large dried bloodstain in front of the victim's apartment as two officers kept watch. Drops of dried blood marked the stairs leading to the floor. Fearful neighbours barely raised their voices as they spoke about what happened. A nearby neighbour, who also didn't want to be identified, trembled as she recounted Saturday's events. She had just returned from shopping and had noticed two men standing outside the victim's door. A few minutes later, shots rang out, followed by sirens. There is no way she can continue to live in the area, she said. "I'm outta here," said the 46-year-old. "I don't care how, (even) if I have to go to a shelter. I'm not living here." Candice Hewston, 21, a mother of three young children who lives four doors away from the crime scene, was scared and said she had been looking to move before Saturday's incident due to violence in the past. Over on Dorney Court, the scene of the two shootings last week, there was as much frustration as fear. "It's just ridiculous," said a mother of three who refused to be identified. "Nobody feels safe around here any more. "I don't care about myself, but my kids, they have to go through that, you know. It's traumatizing for them." In the second homicide of the weekend, a 26-year-old man from Sri Lanka, gunned down late Saturday night in a Scarborough parking lot, may have been shot moments after leaving a bank machine. Police discovered the body of Umathevan Thiyagarajah when they arrived at the scene at the rear of a professional building at the northeast corner of Warden and Finch Aves. It's too early to comment on what may have led to Thiyagarajah's slaying, said McGuire. "There was a group of people around and something may have happened." McGuire said police received a call about 11 50 p.m. on Saturday that gunshots had been heard at the location, which is directly across from Bridlewood Mall. "In the parking lot they found the victim lying on the ground, obviously badly injured and there were four or five people standing around at the time who have all been interviewed," McGuire said. Police said Thiyagarajah wasn't known to them and that he lived in Scarborough. McGuire said he was found at the base of a light standard in the well-lit parking lot. "It's an area known for people to congregate in the evenings, hanging around," McGuire said. "In particular it's our understanding there were a number of people standing at the bus stop at Warden and Finch.... We expect they would have been in position to see or hear something which may add to the investigation, and we would ask that they also come forward." Yellow police tape cordoned off the entire strip mall yesterday, including a large parking lot at the rear of the four-storey professional building at 3420 Finch Ave. E., which houses many medical and dental offices. More than a dozen evidence markers had been placed in an area of the parking lot immediately in front of the entrance to several ATM machines at a CIBC bank as forensic investigators meticulously examined the parking lot for clues. Police said they were also checking to see if any of the businesses in the area had video surveillance that may have captured the shooting. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 09:22:31 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: SHOTGUN DRAMA PUBLICATION: The Edmonton Sun DATE: 2005.08.05 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 8 WORD COUNT: 128 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SHOTGUN DRAMA - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A 35-year-old man is facing multiple charges after a domestic dispute call Wednesday resulted in a city cop accidentally discharging a seized shotgun. Officers responding to 121 Avenue and 66 Street at 10:14 a.m. seized the shotgun from the home. Subsequent investigation has determined that the weapon's stock had been broken or altered. "While a constable was attempting to secure the firearm for transportation, the shotgun was apparently accidentally discharged into the ground, causing sand and grit to be scattered," said police spokesman Lisa Lammi. "Two officers and a civilian suffered minor injuries as a result. They were transported to hospital for treatment and later released." Daryl Dwight Ogden, 35, has been charged with one count of spousal assault, one count of uttering threats, one count of careless storage of a firearm and possession of a firearm contrary to order. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 09:22:40 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Mayor slammed over guns PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star DATE: 2005.08.05 EDITION: ONT SECTION: News PAGE: B4 BYLINE: Gabe Gonda SOURCE: Toronto Star ILLUSTRATION: Mayor David Miller had no answer for why he hadn't visited site of shootings.Ron Bull TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO Mayor David Miller had no answer for why he hadn't visited site of shootings. WORD COUNT: 242 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mayor slammed over guns - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was the mayor's time to weigh in on gun crime and he was trying to stay on message, repeating a mantra about police redoubling efforts to catch the "thugs" responsible for shootings dominating local news. Then he stumbled. A reporter asked David Miller why he hadn't yet gone up to Lawrence Heights, where six people were shot in two drive-by shootings Wednesday, and he paused. "I can't really answer that question," Miller said yesterday. That response, from the normally pitch-perfect mayor, speaks to an issue critics have long said is the left-wing Miller's Achilles heel crime. "Gun crime continues to escalate in this city with all the programs that the mayor claims he has in place," Councillor Michael Thompson (Ward 37 Scarborough Centre) said yesterday in an interview. "The fact of the matter is, the results are not there." Thompson said he hasn't received a response to a letter he sent Miller's office July 26, a day after six people were injured in five shootings in Toronto. In it, he urged the mayor to confront the "Dodge City" atmosphere in Toronto and asked, "When are you going to take this situation seriously?" The shootings early Wednesday left one man dead, bringing the city's homicide total to 39 this year. Yet the murder rate remains steady; there were 38 killings at this time last year. Miller often prefaces his remarks about crime by pointing out that crime rates are down since he took office in late 2003. With files from John Spears ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 09:23:37 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: McGuinty blames smuggled guns for shootings PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen DATE: 2005.08.05 EDITION: EARLY SECTION: News PAGE: A3 SOURCE: CanWest News Service DATELINE: TORONTO WORD COUNT: 296 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- McGuinty blames smuggled guns for shootings - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TORONTO - Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says smuggled guns from the United States are to blame for a lot of Toronto's recent shooting violence and pledged yesterday to raise the issue with the new American ambassador to Canada who is to meet with all of country's premiers next week in Banff. "It's very, very difficult to buy a handgun in Canada," Mr. McGuinty told reporters. "So people who are getting hold of them are doing so by way of illegal means and we continue to get a supply coming from south of the border. We've got to find a better way to address that." Mr. McGuinty said he raised the issue during a recent meeting the American ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins. "He's also coming to meet with us during the course of our Council of the Federation meetings in Banff and I will again very directly raise the issue with both of them at that time "It's something that calls for a concerted effort and a stronger effort because clearly what we are doing at the present time is less than adequate. "If we've come to the point in time where children are becoming victims of drive by shootings, then something is fundamentally wrong," McGuinty said. The spate of gun violence in Toronto, he said points to the need for a "rethink" by all levels of government of everything from the laws on the books to the number of police officers on the streets. McGuinty said the two ambassadors have been invited to meet the premiers primarily to discuss trade issues including "how to establish a good working relationship independent of the federal government so that we can build on the relationship that we have at present with governors on an individual basis. "But the issue I will be raisinga.(is) the issue of American guns on Canadian streets." ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #296 ********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:akimoya@cogeco.ca List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca FAQ list: http://www.magma.ca/~asd/cfd-faq1.html and http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/homepage.html FTP Site: ftp://teapot.usask.ca/pub/cdn-firearms/ CFDigest Archives: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab133/ or put the next command in an e-mail message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca get cdn-firearms-digest v04.n192 end (192 is the digest issue number and 04 is the volume) To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next five lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".) 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