A Toronto community and neighbourhood was left to pick up the pieces after a father and son were killed in a shooting this week.
According to Toronto police, on Tuesday, just before 1:30 p.m., officers responded to reports of a shooting in the Dundas Street East and Parliament Street area.
Authorities said three victims were found suffering from gunshot wounds and one man was pronounced dead at the scene.
A second man and a woman were rushed to hospital where the man succumbed to his injuries. Meanwhile, the woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspect fled but was arrested in the area shortly after, and two officers were injured during the pursuit.
Benedict Johnson Kongolo, 23, of Toronto, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and was scheduled to appear in a Toronto court yesterday.
Police quickly made the public aware that the suspect and victims knew each other, however, many could not have imagined just how well.
In fact, the victims were directly related to Benedict and were identified as his brother (Denzel Didier Kongolo), father (John Ngoyi Kongolo) and mother, who was not named.
A Gofundme was started by someone close to the family who described what happened as a “devastating tragedy.”
“With permission from the family, we’ve created this gofundme to cover funeral costs and any other expenses to alleviate any extra stress during this difficult time. Any donations will be greatly appreciated,” the fundraiser, which has already raised over $20,000, of a $35,000 goal, read.
The Kongolo family was beloved members of the Canadian-Congolese community.
“The Congolese community is not doing really well because, you know, when we have this kind of bad news in the community, all people are wondering what is going on. Most people are very sad,” Patrick Kaketa Mpiana, president of the Congolese Association of Ontario, told CP24.
“This is not basically Congolese culture, killing people or killing each other. It is not part of our culture,” he continued.
The brazen incident has also stunned the Regent Park community. Especially since it comes just weeks after the neighbourhood welcomed nearly two years of no gun-related deaths.
