The family of a young boy wounded in a drive-by shooting outside his public housing complex is suing the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), alleging cuts to security led to the child's injury.
Shaquan Cadougan was only four years old when he was hit by four bullets in the lower body while playing in front of his Driftwood Avenue home in North York on Aug. 5, 2005.
Five family members and friends were wounded in the shooting, but Shaquan got the worst of it. Now six years old, he still has two bullets inside his body that cannot be removed. He is expected to have long-term mobility problems.
"This bullet came in though his groin and cut off all the veins, that's why he couldn't pee for six months," the child's mother told CTV's Karlene Nation, revealing his scars.
Lawyers for the Cadougan family have filed a $4 million lawsuit against the TCHC, accusing the housing corporation of gross negligence. They allege TCHC slashed its security budget by $4 million the year before the shooting and reduced the number of security staff from 200 to 80.
"It's our contention that the TCHC must have known about the likely consequences of the withdrawal of security," lawyer Marshall Swadron said at a news conference on Wednesday.
"They took a gamble with the safety of their residents."
The lawyers say the cuts created an environment where violence flourished on TCHC properties during the deadly "summer of the gun."
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the company announced it was increasing its security budget by $9.3 million.
The housing corporation would not comment on the lawsuit because it is before the courts.
Two young men were arrested and charged in the drive-by shooting that wounded Shaquan, but they were later released and charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
The case remains unsolved.
With a report from CTV's Karlene Nation
