A 15-year-old youth suffering from multiple gunshot wounds died in hospital Friday afternoon after emergency crews were forced to scale 12 flights of stairs at a Regent Park community housing highrise to reach him.
Police identified the victim as Tyson Bailey, as mourners massed on social networks expressing shock at the sudden death of the teen many affectionately called “TB.”
“By all accounts, he was a fine young man,” said Det.-Sgt. Justin VanderHeyden at a press conference Friday night, adding Bailey had no criminal record or known gang affiliations.
Police, firefighters and paramedics were called to 605 Whiteside Pl., near Dundas St. E. and River St., shortly after 2 p.m. Friday, but had difficulty reaching Bailey — who was found in the 13th-storey stairwell — after the building’s two elevators inexplicably stopped working, said Toronto Fire Capt. David Eckerman.
Toronto Community Housing spokeswoman Sara Goldvine said the elevators were functioning when emergency crews arrived.
“The elevators at Whiteside were operational when Toronto Fire and Toronto Police arrived on scene,” Goldvine said. “At that point in time, they were put on service.”
Firefighters, who have master keys to the elevators, recalled them for police and paramedics, but both got stuck on separate floors.
The one carrying police officers stalled on the third floor and the second carrying paramedics never left the lobby, Eckerman said.
“All attempts to make the elevators work were not successful,” he said.
Paramedics were then forced to climb 12 flights to reach the youth who was slumped in the stairwell, still alive but with “serious, life-threatening injuries,” said EMS superintendent Kim McKinnon.
“They made every effort to get there as quickly as possible,” McKinnon said. “It is unusual, yes, to have to climb that many stairs. But they will do what it takes to get to the patient.”
McKinnon said she would not hypothesize about specifics in this case but said: “Yes, the seconds, minutes can make a difference.”
Eckerman also wouldn’t speculate, but said: “The preferred method, since we recalled the elevators, is to take the elevator to the floor that the boy was on. Unfortunately that wasn’t possible.”
Bailey was taken to St. Michael’s Hospital, according to EMS reports, where he died shortly after.
“I just can’t talk, I’m in shock,” said his aunt, Judith Bailey, when reached at home.
This is the second homicide of the year and the city’s first fatal shooting.
Police reported finding shell casings at the scene. No arrests had been made.
Two persons of interest who were seen on the 13th floor shortly before the shooting are being sought by police. The first was described as a white male, 25 to 30 years old, tall and skinny with acne on his face. The second is a black male, also 25 to 30 years old, short and wearing a thick black jacket.
Police said Bailey did not live in the building, but resided in the area and are reviewing surveillance footage as the investigation continues.
Several residents of the Whiteside highrise, which Goldvine said is an older building, reported experiencing problems previously with the building’s only two elevators.
Tajid Ferdous, who has lived on the 10th floor for about three years and wasn’t home when shooting happened, said the elevators have been a problem for over six months.
“It happens quite often that the elevators aren’t working,” he said. “I’ve been stuck twice, for about 15 to 20 minutes.”
Tigist Tulu, who lives on the 13th floor, also said the elevators are often unreliable.
“Sometimes it’s working, sometimes it not work,” she said.
Goldvine said Toronto Community Housing regularly maintains and services elevators in its older buildings, but she could not say whether there were any reported problems at the Whiteside building.
In 2010, two teens were shot dead in the lobby of the Whiteside building. Two men were also fatally shot in the building: Maxine Johnson in 1992 and Marco Ruscetta in 2003.
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