Police in York Region say violent crimes involving guns – including homicides, shootings and carjackings – have surged in the area north of Toronto since January.
York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween says the increase is concerning for the community, despite the region remaining one of the safest in the country.
He says York Region has seen 46 shootings so far this year, marking a 92 per cent increase in shootings compared to the same period last year.
MacSween says there have been 15 homicides in the region so far this year, a figure nearly double the eight seen last year.
He says the region has also seen 64 violent carjackings this year so far, a surge of 106 per cent over the amount seen in the same time last year.
The spike in violent crime comes as police investigate two separate deaths of Markham, Ont., women who were found dead in recent months.
Last week, police said Yuk-Ying Anita Mui, a 51-year-old Markham relator, was believed to have been targeted and murdered. Unidentified burned remains were found in Parry Sound, Ont., on Aug. 12 after she was reported missing by her family on Aug. 9, and police said last week that the coroner had confirmed those were Mui's remains.
In a separate case, police charged a man with murder in the death of another missing Markham woman whose remains were found in central Ontario. In that case, police said the coroner identified the remains found in the community of Kirkfield as those of Ying Zhang who was last seen on July 25 in Markham.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2024.
