It was like this didn’t happen at all.
Other than a small piece of left-behind yellow police tape, you’d never know, on Friday night, this quiet stretch of road in downtown Mississauga was a war zone.
By Saturday morning, all was back to normal.
One might not realize on Friday evening this street off Burnhamthorpe and Confederation Pkwy. was the site of a shoot-out with police, a carjacking resulting in an eight-year-girl being thrown from a truck, two men arrested and an ongoing manhunt for two more.
It appears no one was hit by any of the at least three gunshots fired in the melee, so this is a crime scene that can be easily scrubbed and quickly moved on from, letting the conversation return the ridiculous defund-the-police narrative.
@joe_warmington at the scene of Friday night’s shootout in #Peel @PeelPolice – eight year old thrown from getaway pickup on #Burnhamthorpe – police looking for two suspects pic.twitter.com/1XvKzvbKkb
But the disturbing enormity of what happened here, how bad it could have turned out and that such an egregious crime could happen at 7 p.m. on a summer night surrounded by law-abiding citizens are pretty hard to gloss over.
We can’t let that happen.
One person who got that Saturday was Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie.
“We will absolutely not tolerate brazen gang warfare on the streets of Mississauga,” said the mayor.
“Putting the lives of innocent young children in danger is inconceivable and every parent’s worst nightmare.”
Gunshots heard near Square One. Officers, tac squad chasing after black truck, 3 people apprehended, 1 injured #mississauga #mississauganews #shooting pic.twitter.com/BMG5Wix8ZC
Saying she is “relieved the young girl did not suffer any serious physical injuries,” she also talked of how “extremely traumatic” the experience must have been for the carjacked family, and said she knows the police “will ensure they receive whatever support they need.
“Peel Police have images of the suspects and they will find them,” she continued.
“If the suspects have any honour or decency, they’ll turn themselves in as soon as possible.”
People should help police with the same vigour they use to criticize them.
Perhaps a demonstration denouncing these gangs who partake in these robberies, these thugs who shoot at police and harm children could be organized — with a view in investing more money in policing and justice.
“I want to thank Peel Police for their heroic efforts and for ensuring this young girl was safely returned to her family,” said Crombie.
There was no talk on defunding on this day, but plenty on how this could ever happen here?
“This is supposed to be a safe neighbourhood,” said Ronack Doshi who lives in the building in the middle of it.
It still is.
It’s still fantastic.
But for how much longer?
Throw in a murder committed in a building just a few hundred metres away, another at a nearby restaurant, and shootings outside Square One — plus a whole lot of other stuff — and an old police reporter can spot a trend that must be stopped with the same energy as the coronavirus.
In Mississauga, they may have cleaned up the latest disturbing shooting scene.
But this did happen
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