Neighbours fearful after two people shot dead at Keswick park

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York Regional Police are calling a double homicide in a Keswick park an isolated incident — but that came as cold comfort to neighbours.

Residents around Bayview Park said they were frightened after hearing multiple shots — from possibly two guns — before 7:30 a.m., as they got their kids ready for school.

Christopher Finley, who lives north of the park, said he heard shots while dealing with recycling waste in his garage.

“I heard something hit my truck from inside the garage,” said Finley.

He walked around his orange Dodge 1500 pickup and spotted a stray bullet fired from the park had hit his truck. He looked up and saw a woman, who was walking her dog in the park, talking to police on her phone.

“She is in hysterics. She looks at me and mouths: ‘Bullets,’” said Finley.

According to York Regional Police, officers responded to the sounds of gunshots at Bayview Park around 7:30 a.m. While they did not provide many details, police said two victims were found in the park with gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the scene.

Finley said there was possibly another witness, a cyclist, going through the park at the time who may have seen what happened.

Tiina Rieger, whose home sits on a corner of the park, heard the gunfire and was instructed by arriving police to stay inside with her mom, Mari, and her children.

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Rieger said they hear a different kind of gunfire at times of the year because of duck hunters in Cook’s Bay and the surrounding wetlands in the area.

“I kind of thought it was duck hunters at first,” said Rieger.

“It’s creepy, it’s super creepy. It’s literally too close to home,” said Rieger, motioning her arm in a pointing manner to the park.

She didn’t want to explain what had happened to her pre-teen children because they would get more “freaked out,” adding, “I could see a body with a sheet over it.”

Police had all the paths and entrances to the park cordoned off with tape and officers in vehicles. A pair of officers arrived late in the afternoon with metal detectors and searched a section on the south side of the park for further evidence.

Police said during a midday press conference that “our investigators are working to identify a suspect or suspects who may have been involved in this incident.”

Police refused to provide information about ages or genders of the victims or about any weapons seized.

Kim Therrien, who lives just south of the park, had just got up and was in her kitchen making tea when she heard at least seven shots fired off.

“I was standing in front of an open window when I heard three shots, a brief pause, and then four more shots,” said Therrien. “Which sounded different.”

“So, I certainly had my Spidey senses going.”