'It's pretty scary': Toronto police investigating third tow truck-related shooting this week

Is trio of tow truck shootings connected? Police are investigating if three shootings involving tow trucks within 24 hours in the GTA, seriously injuring four people, are connected.

Toronto police say they are investigating another tow truck-related shooting in Scarborough, the third such incident in just over 24 hours.

Officers were called to the area of Lawrence Avenue East and Greencrest Circuit, east of Markham Road, just before 11:45 p.m. Thursday for reports of a shooting.

The victim, a man in his 20s, according to police, was driving a tow truck at the time and transported to hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators told CP24 that more than 10 bullets were fired and bullet holes could be seen in the window of the tow truck at the scene.

"I don't see why anybody would want to hurt him," said the victim's brother, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons.

He told CTV News Toronto on Friday that he was able to speak with his brother in the hospital this morning. He said his brother was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of the shooting, which probably saved his life.

"I think it's pathetic. These guys are out here, one, trying to help people who have had an unfortunate day. It needs to be dealt with quickly because the public is starting to worry," he said.

"I just wish something would come to a stop because innocent people are getting hurt."

No suspect description has been released, but police say the shooter was in a dark-coloured vehicle at the time shots were fired.

“I heard like about four shots last night, saw lots of police cruisers,” one witness, who lives in the area, told CP24. “I absolutely knew it was a shooting. Very concerning late at night, was trying to sleep, my kids were in bed.”

“This is the third one in this area, I don’t know what the tow trucks are all fighting for. It’s pretty scary,” said another witness.

Hours earlier, at 5:10 p.m., police said two people took themselves to hospital after a shooting at a tow truck yard near Markham Road and Passmore Avenue, about a 15-minute drive north from the scene at Lawrence and Greencrest.

Both victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries, police said. A dark-coloured vehicle was also observed leaving that scene, but no suspect description has been released.

Those two shootings follow one on Wednesday night in the area of Markham Road and Sheppard Avenue East. At approximately 10:30 p.m., police said a tow truck driver, a man in his 20s, sustained serious injuries after shots were fired there. No suspect information has been made available.

Toronto police say they’re investigating all three incidents, but it’s unclear at this time if they are connected.

In an email to CP24 Friday morning, Toronto police said gun violence in the city’s tow truck industry continues to be a “serious issue.”

Police data shows that nearly 15 per cent of all shootings reported in Toronto last year were tow truck related, with at least 62 incidents being tied to the industry.

“To address this issue, the TPS launched a Tow Truck Task Force in August, adopting a service-wide approach to combat tow truck-related crimes. This violence, while alarming, is driven by a small segment of the industry engaged in territorial conflicts,” a spokesperson for Toronto police said.

The Ontario government also pledged to crack down on fraudulent tow truck drivers with a new certification requirement that went into effect early last year.

With files from Mike Walker, Codi Wilson and The Canadian Press