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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Leyland Cecco in Toronto

Toronto police link dozens of shootings to ‘multilayered’ gun-for-hire network

police salute during a funeral procession
Police salute during a procession with the body of Constable Marc Pinizzotto, who was killed in the line of duty conducting a raid earlier in the day, in Toronto on 11 June 2026. Photograph: Canadian Press/Shutterstock

Police investigators in Toronto have said that dozens of shootings – including one at the US consulate in March – are linked to a “multilayered” gun-for-hire network that is also responsible for attacks on synagogues around Canada’s largest city.

Toronto’s police chief, Myron Demkiw, told reporters on Tuesday that young adults and teenagers are being recruited through encrypted messaging apps such as Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp by “bad actors” and paid by the networks to carry out the attacks. Shooters are required to film their attacks in order to get paid.

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