Man, 18, seriously injured in North York gun battle

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Residents of a North York highrise are living in fear after a terrifying wild-west shootout that seriously injured an 18-year-old man Thursday night.

Cristina, who was sitting in the shade outside of 170 Chalkfarm Dr. with a group of friends – one of whom had a newborn baby girl – was angered by the gun battle that unfolded just after 11 p.m., as well as what is happening in and around their building.

“I’m scared for my life because of what happened,” the 58-year-old grandmother said Friday. “You don’t know what is going to take place after. So you have to be scared for your life.”

“And you’re grandkids and their lives. That’s what you have to be scared for,” she added.

Crisitina said she has six grandchildren who were asking questions about all the glass on the floor before heading to school.

“But we can’t tell them anything because they are still (too) young (to understand),” she said.

In the wake of the shootout northwest of Jane St. and Wilson Ave., the entire front entrance and nearby maintenance doors were pockmarked with bullet holes.

The sliding glass doors of the front foyer were blown out out by gunfire and other large holes could be seen in windows from bullets fired from both inside and outside of the building.

One police sticker tag marked a bullet hole in the bottom metal frame of the sliding doorway as “#41.”

Bullet holes could be seen fired through the front entrance of the building bullet holes in the overhead awning beside signage of the name of the building, The Oaks on the Green.

Another woman, who lives with her daughter and sons but wouldn’t identify herself out of fear, was angered and marvelled at all the damage.

“My God, this is terrible. We are not safe then,” said the woman, who was sleeping when the gunfire erupted.

The woman said she has lived at the building for four years and her daughter won’t come downstairs at night because of a large group of young men who hang around outside drinking, smoking, intimidating and harassing tenants as they come and go from the building.

“So, please, we need more security. I don’t think we have security enough,” the woman said. “How can one live in this place and always be afraid?”

As the Toronto Sun and TV cameras recorded the woman, she pleaded, “I don’t want you guys to show my face because these people will kill me.”

As the woman spoke about problems in the building, a maintenance man moving garbage bins slammed the lid on one – and startled the woman causing her to jump.

The maintenance man, along with Crisitina, said there are people in the building who roam about and steal parcels and food from delivery people on a regular basis.

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Trickles of blood could be seen inside on the floor in the foyer as glaziers arrived to repair the shot out windows and neighbours recorded videos.

A car in the front parking lot area, that appeared to have been hit by return gunfire from inside the building, was towed away Friday morning.

Another vehicle in the parking lot that looked like a workman’s van had a huge bullet mark in its side.

Some media reported a gun was found inside the front foyer, but Toronto Police would neither confirm nor deny that information.

The lone victim was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound that was considered serious but not life-threatening.

Police have said they are looking for several suspects and a light-coloured car seen leaving the area after the shooting.

jboland@postmedia.com