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| Delano Coombs, one of the victims whose killers were caught in Operation Project Horse |
Not withstanding the fact that I lived there when these killings took place but it was in an area bordering mine. 11 Division where one specific apartment townhome complex was ground zero. The Cooper Mills townhouses saw the murders of Jarvis St Remy, Shane Williams, Jermaine Smith, Delano Coombs and in the perimeter Adrian Johnston and Kenneth Mark. Marvin Engelbrecht and Daniel Davis were also killed unprovoked just minding their own business.
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| Speaking as an advocate at Cooper Mills an hour after Delano Coomb's murder |
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| Det Wayne Banks addresses media at Cooper Mills |
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| Inside the yellow tapes as I was giving crime stoppers cards to individual residents. |
Just before midnight one day last October, Marvin Engelbrecht took his dog for a walk near Flemington Road.
He hadn’t quite reached home when a car pulled up beside him. A figure jumped out and chased him up a driveway, shooting multiple times. He never reached his front door, the victim of a bullet to the head.
Now Toronto police have arrested eight people they believe formed a “ruthless” group responsible for a string of violence that included Mr. Engelbrecht’s death, three other homicides and two attempted murders.
“Some of these acts are … random acts of violence — they’ve just come upon these people, engaged them, and murdered them,” said Staff Insp. Greg McLane of the homicide squad.
The suspects are between 19 and 29 years of age. Some of the accused were already in custody for other offences at the time the charges were laid.
But Staff Insp. McLane stopped short of calling the accused a street gang.
“We can clearly put them with each other,” he said. “They are a group, and they do hang out, and they do commit criminal offences together.”
“I can’t really tell you that they’re a member of any organized street gang.”
To know that someone just wakes up one morning and decides to kill someone, that’s disgusting. That’s painful
The investigation, dubbed Project Sugar Horse, began in April 2013 after police linked the alleged murderers to a string of shootings that began in 2008 with an attack on Kenneth Mark, a well-known anti-gang activist. He survived being shot in the head, but was murdered in a separate attack in December 2009.
Mr. Englebrecht’s death is just one of the shootings dubbed random by Staff Insp. McLane.
Daniel Davis, 27, was another; he was shot and killed at Flemington Public School on July 19, 2012.
But not all victims were random. Police said Delano Coombs was hunted down. Almost a year and a half after his death, Mr. Coombs’s sister said Thursday she is grateful for the arrests, but it doesn’t bring back the victims — her brother included.
“To know that someone just wakes up one morning and decides to kill someone, that’s disgusting. That’s painful,” Toni Tenille Rodney said.
Other victims include Jermaine Smith, 28, of Mississauga, who was shot multiple times at a BBQ attended by about 50-100 people, many of whom were children.
Facing murder charges are Aiman Khiar, 24; Jerome Bent, 22; Dellan McMorris, 23; Shakeil Wheatle, 19; Dwayne Willis, 20; Amanda Rumbolt, 29; Jathursan Rajarubakumar, 22; and Bershon Roach-Ferguson, 20.
The investigation is ongoing.
Below is the story in the Town Crier newspapers on the ongoing murder investigations at Cooper Mills, so as of then, we had 8 murders and 6 UNSOLVED. Now we have 8 with 4 unsolved. Thanks largely to the community who I always encourage to keep snitching by calling 1800222TIPS or better being a witness by calling Toronto Police Homicide Squad at 416-808-7400
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| My coverage of the murder of Delano Coombs |
EXCERPTS OF THE STORY:
Outspoken crime victim advocate Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo, who recently launched a “start snitching” campaign and is also known as the “snitch lady”, looks at the Cooper Mills murders and sees something else in common with the six unsolved murders: all the victims are black.
Though she says she has been labelled a racist by people of all races for pointing the finger at the black communities for not talking to police, she maintains she’s just speaking the truth.
“The white cases got justice because people spoke and got the killers off the street,” she said, pointing to major cases like that of Jane Creba. “So don’t keep saying the police aren’t looking for who killed the black person. All of you need to start doing what everybody else is doing. If you don’t want to be a witness, call Crime Stoppers, give them a direction to go to.”
At the same time, she recognizes it’s difficult because people are afraid to talk. However, that’s instilled from a young age because of rap and hip hop, she says.
“Our streets are very musically, hip hop-themed, and it goes with the program: don’t snitch. That mentality is there for them as young as 10, 12 years old,” Omololu-Olunloyo said. “The black streets of Toronto are coached never to snitch.”
While there doesn’t seem to be a consensus as to why these murders continue to happen, the wheels are getting into motion to try to prevent more homicides at Cooper Mills.
“What has to be done at 4020 Dundas is a community meeting,” she said. “I would like to have a community meeting with 11 Division officers and the community itself, meaning everybody at 4020 Dundas and I want to get to the councillor. I’m talking about doing this soon.”
Councillor for the area, Sarah Doucette, agrees.
“I’m available to them whenever they need me,” she said. “I think the community is the best people to listen to. They’re the ones who live there, they’re the ones who’ve experienced this, they’re the ones we need to follow the lead from.”
A community safety walk or extra lighting could be a good place to start but more certainly needs to be done, Doucette says.
“I see this community the same as all the communities around here; we can work together and listen to people and see if we can come up with some solutions,” she said. “I think a community meeting is the best way to listen to suggestions.”
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