These gutless cowards may have thought they could shoot at a Jewish girls elementary school and get away under the cover of darkness.
They thought wrong.
Less than a week after this creepy alleged crime, Toronto Police have arrested two people in the Yom Kippur shooting in North York.
Deputy Chief of Police Robert Johnson told a live news conference that an adult and a youth are in custody.
“I’m pleased to announce the arrest of two individuals in connection with the incident that took place at Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School on Saturday, Oct. 12,” Johnson said. “Both males face multiple charges, including unauthorized possession of a loaded firearm — a Glock handgun modified to become fully automatic. While I can’t share details on the motivation behind this incident due to the ongoing investigation, we are thoroughly exploring why these two individuals (allegedly) committed these crimes and any connections to the previous shooting incident at this school on May 25, 2024.”
The adult, 20-year-old Helder Antonio De Ameida, 20, of Toronto, was arrested Thursday and charged with discharging a restricted and prohibited firearm, two counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm, two counts of possession of a loaded prohibited and restricted firearm, two counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and two counts of possession of a prohibited device.
The 17-year-old youth, who can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, faces many of the same charges including unauthorized possession of a firearm but also two counts of failing to comply with a release order.
Both were in court Friday. Their bail status is not yet known. The charges against both have not been tested in court.
This is a very important arrest that comes during the Jewish faith’s holiday season and at a time when so many members of the community feel unsafe and abandoned. The relationship between the Jewish community and the city became strained when Mayor Olivia Chow did not show up at the one-year-anniversary to commemorate the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel — just days before this shooting incident.
Chow apologized but, like her not showing up at the Walk for Israel or the flag-raising for Israel Independence Day, the damage was done and the message was sent. Toronto was starting to look like a place where it’s open season on Jews. Just before this shooting there was video of a ranting man talking about Hitler as he denounced a Jewish man. That case is still under investigation.
The mayor has failed Jewish Torontonians since Oct. 7 but has vowed to do better in the future. None of this antisemitism is okay and it’s not sustainable. So this arrest was vital.
Chief Myron Demkiw, who has talked about the concerning increase in antisemitic crimes in Toronto in the past year, understands that better than anybody.
“The safety and well-being of our communities remains our highest priority. Our increased police presence across the city will continue for as long as necessary, demonstrating our commitment to keeping all neighborhoods safe. As I’ve said before, our investigations are ongoing, and charges can be laid at any time — whether immediately after the incident or in the days and weeks that follow,” said Demkiw from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) annual conference in Boston. “I want to thank the members of our service who have worked tirelessly since this incident to identify those responsible. A special thanks to our Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force, Hate Crime Unit, Forensic Identification Services, and our partners at the Centre of Forensic Sciences for their dedication to the safety of our communities.”
This was some fast detective work by police who conducted a dual investigation with the integrated gun and gang unit and Toronto Police’s hate crime squad. Johnson said using all tools available to them — from tips from the public to video images to forensics — they were able to make the arrests.
“It makes it clear that such violent actions will not be tolerated,” Councillor Brad Bradford said.
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Officers arrived on scene on Chesswood after 4 a.m. and found a shattered window. Evidence of gunfire was found, but there were no injuries reported.
This is still a very active investigation.
Arrests in the second shooting of Bais Chaya Mushka. Perhaps arrests in the first one is next?