The victim of a drive-by shooting near Schomberg on Sunday was shot multiple times after gesturing and shaking his head at a speeding vehicle.
York Regional Police Insp. Jim Killby said the 65-year-old man was out walking his dog at 8:40 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12 on Centre Street in King Township, in an area also known as Llyodtown. He said it's a rural residential area.
The victim innocently gestured toward the speeding vehicle, which is described as a white SUV. The vehicle turned around, drove at him and the front passenger fired several times, Killby said.
The man was taken to the hospital in critical condition and remains there fighting for his life.
"This was a cowardly act, a cowardly violent act against a victim who was doing nothing more than enjoying the morning and walking his dog in the area for exercise,” he said.
Killby made it clear that this was not an act of road rage but attempted murder.
"This wasn’t a simple case of somebody getting cut off. This was an individual that rolled down his window and fired 13 rounds at an individual that was walking down a road," he said. "It’s not a road rage incident, it’s attempted murder. Our victim is lucky to be alive."
Police did not say how many times the victim was struck but that multiple rounds hit him.
Killby said that "this unfortunately is just another example of the illegal possession of firearms that occur in community, and the violent acts that are committed with these firearms that are plaguing our communities."
He said police are stunned by this "callous act of violence."
Investigators have not yet spoken to the victim and are hoping to do so as he recovers.
They are appealing to any witnesses including those who may have surveillance video or dashcam footage showing the vehicle in the area around the time of the incident. This footage would be from Feb. 12 between 8 and 9 a.m. and would show a white SUV, possibly a 4-door Lexus RX 350.
After the shooting, the vehicle was travelling westward from the scene and Killby said the main arteries bordering this location are Highway 50 to the west, Highway 9 to the north, Lloydtown-Aurora Road to the south and Highway 400 to the east.
The shooter is described as a male, with light brown or tanned skin. Both the shooter and the driver are encouraged to seek legal counsel and turn themselves in as Killby said police are aggressively investigating this incident.
Anyone with information is asked to contact York Regional Police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7141, or leave an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online.
