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In the wake of a recent spate of murders — and with gunfire erupting more than twice as often as it did a few years ago — the Toronto Police union boss says it’s time to ask a dark question.

“Is this the new norm for our city?”

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“What we’ve seen is a dramatic increase in shootings since 2014,” Toronto Police Association President Mike McCormack told the Toronto Sun. “There were nearly 600 shooting victims in Toronto last year — a record high.”

In 2014, Toronto saw 177 shooting occurrences and 242 shooting victims. By 2016, there were 407 occurrences and 581 victims — numbers that remained similarly high last year and through the first five months of 2018.

“It’s not a blip,” McCormack said. “It’s something we’re very concerned about and all Torontonians should be concerned about.”

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Beginning with the shooting that killed Mohammed Gharda, 17, and critically injured an 18-year-old man in northeast Scarborough on May 20, the city recently endured eight murders in just 11 days.