A teenager has died of his injuries after a shooting in Scarborough Wednesday afternoon.

Toronto paramedics said they were called to a shooting near Sheppard Avenue East and Birchmount Road around 1:30 p.m.



They found a male, who they believe to be 17 or 18 years of age, with gunshot wounds. He was rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition but later died, police said.

This latest killing has pushed the number of homicides for the year in Toronto to 83.

Toronto police said the shooting occurred in "relatively close proximity" to two high schools near Bonis Avenue and Birchmount Road. Police said there are no injuries reported in either school.

Suspect still at large

Toronto Police Insp. Joanna Beaven-Desjardins said the suspect is still at large.

"There was some information that possibly a suspect may have gone to Stephen Leacock [Collegiate Institute]. That has not been confirmed," she told reporters at the scene.

"But under the abundance of caution we brought in our emergency task force to ensure that that information is either confirmed or denied."

Beaven-Desjardins said the information at this point is that there was a single shooter.

"We're still appealing to witnesses to come forward who may have seen what happened," she told reporters.





Emergency crews were called to the scene of the shooting around 1:30 Wednesday afternoon. (Oliver Walters/CBC) "The shooting happened in the plaza parking lot. Our victim was in the company of approximately two or three other males. We're looking to identify those males at this point, and again, we're appealing to witnesses who may have seen what happened to come forward."

Following the shooting, the Toronto District School Board had four schools in lockdown but this was lifted shortly before 5 p.m. police said.

In response to the shooting, the city councillor for the area, James Karygiannis, reiterated his position that guns have absolutely no place in the city of Toronto and handguns have no place in Canada.

Karygiannis, who represents Ward 39, Scarborough-Agincourt, said it's about time the federal government steps up to the plate and bans them.

Following the shooting, Coun. James Karygiannis reiterated his call for a ban on guns in the city. (CBC)

"This is the reason that we should ban guns and get them off our streets to make sure that our kids are safe when they're going to school and when they are coming back home," Karygiannis said.

"One of the things that I had proposed was a repository for us to lock all the guns and if people want to get the legitimate guns to go shooting and to go hunting they would be able to go and get them from there."

Meanwhile, Coun. Norm Kelly, who represents Ward 40 Scarborough-Agincourt, said shootings like this were "absolutely unheard of" when he was growing up in Scarborough.

"It's all too prevalent these days, it's got to stop, it has to stop," he said.

Kelly said his focus is on the gangs but he said more policing is also needed.

"Focus on the gangs. More policing, more eyes on the gangs, more policing in the neighbourhoods, more money invested in intelligence, more money invested in the anti-gang taskforce," he said.

"We're dealing with people whose values system is outside of the values system that most of us have in the city of Toronto."