Four wounded as North York neighbourhood riddled with bullets

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Walli Mohammad and his family thought they had fled violence when they moved to Canada from Afghanistan six years ago.

But just before 1 a.m. Saturday they learned Toronto is not the safe haven they believed when gunfire erupted at a strip mall near Glencairn and Marlee Aves. — southwest of Lawrence Ave. W. and Allen Rd. — injuring four men.

Walli was watching a movie with his son Raiham, 6, and 14-month-old daughter inside their apartment a block down the street when a bullet pierced their balcony window and blew out their TV.

“Our country (Afghanistan) was very dangerous. We come here for a safe life,” said Walli. “We are not safe here too.”

Moments before the gunshots rang out, his wife Salma had come out of their bedroom to tend to their crying daughter and give her a pacifier.

“My husband was lying down with the kids watching TV and then I heard one shot and then boom, boom, boom, boom,” she recalled. “I freaked out and started running towards the windows to look out to see whats happening.”

That’s when her husband screamed, “Salma sit down,” and told her to look at the TV.

The couple then went to their balcony windows and looked out to see people running in all directions.

“We took my kids to my mother’s place on the fourth floor (for safety),” said Walli.

Looking down into the back parking lot they saw police searching with dogs and arrest a guy who had been shot in the shoulder.

Officers visited the family’s home and tagged the window and TV set with markers — but didn’t find the slug, which was probably wedged inside the electronics.

Throughout the night and into the morning multiple bullet holes were located in cars, municipal garbage cans and patio decking in the parking lot and outside the Java Dolce pub in the strip mall.

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Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders, holding a press conference over the noon-hour at nearby 13 Division, said it’s believed a dark sedan rolled up, three suspects emerged from the car and they all started shooting at another group of three in the strip mall area with at least one returning fire.

“There was a vehicle waiting. The driver remained in the vehicle. The plan was three get out shoot at one of the intended targets or three of the intended targets,” said Saunders.

One of the four injured — including an innocent bystander — was found south of the crime scene where the Mohammad’s live.

Salma said she saw police and dog trackers find the man who’d had been shot in the shoulder.

She also witnessed another shooting at a strip mall adjacent to Saturday’s early morning shooting on April 4.

During that encounter she saw two men jump out of a car, after doing a weird U-turn on the street, and chased down some people firing off about 15 shots through its parking lot, she said.

jboland@postmedia.com