Teenager shot and killed in suspected Pickering drive-by

A teenage boy was shot and killed in a suspected drive-by shooting in Pickering last night.

Shots rang out shortly after 9:30 p.m. on June 18 at a housing complex at 1580 Kingston Rd. in Pickering. First responders arrived soon after and found a 17-year-old boy had been shot. Paramedics tried to save the boy’s life, but he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

Durham Regional Police are investigating the shooting. They believe the shots came from a vehicle that fled the scene. Police said they do not know how many suspects may be involved and released no information about any potential suspects. That said, investigators don’t believe there is any further threat to public safety.

Police have appealed to any witnesses or people who may have captured the shooting on their phones to come forward to investigators. They are setting up a command post near the scenes on June 19 and have asked anyone with knowledge of the shooting to attend.

Anyone with information can also call Det. Ryan Peacocke of the Homicide Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5402 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

The teen is the eighth person murdered in Durham Region in 2023 following the deaths of; John Genereux on Jan. 17, Ken Choppee on Jan. 27, married couple Aram Kamel and Rafad Alzubaidy on Feb. 4, Amaar Jawaid on March 5, Katie Kainz on March 14, and Michael Nigris on March 30.

There were 13 murder investigations in Durham Region in 2022, eight of which occured by this time last year.