

Joshua Freeman, CP24.com





A man has been rushed to hospital after being shot in the neck in a vehicle in Rexdale as his young nephew sat in the back.

Police were originally called to Kipling Avenue and Henley Crescent for a report of a collision at around 8:30 p.m. When emergency crews arrived, they found a vehicle smashed into a pole with an occupant suffering from a gunshot wound.

The victim was rushed to hospital via emergency run, police said. He is believed to be in serious but stable condition, Toronto Paramedic Services said.

A three-year-old child – believed to be the man’s nephew – was in a car seat in the back at the time of the crash, police said.

Four women who were passing by right after the crash removed the boy from the vehicle, according to police. He was unharmed but has been taken to hospital to be checked over as a precaution.

Police said it’s still too early to say when and where the man was shot.

“We don’t know where in fact the shooting took place,” Inspector Domenic Sinopoli told CP24 at the scene. “What I can tell you is the vehicle must have been travelling at quite a rate of speed to cause that much damage and to take down the light pole.”

A man who lives close to where the crash happened said he heard two loud bangs before running out to see what had happened.

“When I came out the guy was slumped over in the car,” the man said.

He said his wife then saw two men running away from the scene towards a ravine.

Members of the Emergency Task Force arrived at the scene shortly after the crash and are scouring the area with police dogs to see if they can locate any suspects.

However Sinopoli said it’s difficult to say at this point whether the men who were running from the scene are suspects. He said police are looking to speak with a man who turned off the vehicle after the crash.

“Someone attended to this scene and turned off the vehicle. We don’t know who that person is. We’d love to have him contact us,” Sinopoli said.

He said police are looking to speak with that man, as well as anyone else who has information about the incident.

Kipling Avenue has been closed between West Humber Boulevard and John Garland as police investigate.