One shooting victim is taken from the scene at Collega and Spadina.
Six GTA shootings mar first weekend of summer
Updated: Mon Jun. 26 2006 3:07:36 PM
CTV.ca News Staff
The first weekend of the summer was a violent one in the Greater Toronto Area as seven people were shot in a 48-hour span in separate incidents.
And for the third time in five days, a police officer shot and struck a suspect who used his vehicle to try and run down the officer.
In that incident, which took place at about 3:15 a.m. Saturday in Scarborough, the officer shot and struck the 23-year-old suspect behind the wheel, but he too was seriously hurt.
While police are not commenting on what exactly transpired during the confrontation, media reports said the officer had been run over.
Both the suspect and officer were taken to St. Michael's Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident unfolded after police had responded to an emergency call at an apartment building near Lawrence Avenue East and Midland Avenue. A small Toyota had sped away, but was stopped by police a short distance later.
The Special Investigations Unit, a civilian body that investigates all cases where there is death or serious injury involving police, is probing the case.
SIU investigators are still looking into a police shooting that took place in Mississauga Friday night when Peel police shot a Brampton man who allegedly tried to run down an officer with his vehicle. The 24-year-old victim is expected to recover fully following surgery to remove a bullet from his torso.
And early Tuesday morning, Toronto police shot and killed a 15-year-old boy who reportedly drove a stolen van at an officer.
In other shootings this weekend, two men traded gunfire outside a 7-11 convenience store at College Street and Spadina Avenue just after midnight Saturday.
One was struck in the neck and the other was shot five times in the chest, police said. Both are expected to survive.
A bouncer at the Brass Rail strip club on Yonge Street was struck by a bullet during a confrontation with a patron Saturday. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
At about 9 p.m. Saturday night, a man stumbled into a hospital after being shot twice near Shuter and Sherbourne Streets. The victim, however, left the hospital shortly after and is not being co-operative with police.
The weekend violence began Friday afternoon when a 22-year-old man was struck and killed in a Scarborough townhouse during a brazen midday shooting, police said.
Meanwhile, homicide detectives are investigating the death of a woman in a home near Church and Wellesley streets.
At about 9:30 p.m. Saturday the Toronto Police Homicide Squad learned that Donovan Morrison, 45, had turned himself in to 52 Division. He allegedly walked into the police station and said he had killed Gwendolyn Pilgrim.
After further investigation by police, the 35-year-old woman was found dead inside a two-storey brick home on Dundonald Street.
A post-mortem examination determined Pilgrim died of manual strangulation. Police charged Morrison with second-degree murder and he was scheduled to appear in court Sunday morning.
Police ask anyone with information about Pilgrim's death to call investigators at (416) 808-7400 or Crime Stoppers at (416) 222-TIPS (8477).
