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14h ago

Vigils Planned as Police Seek Leads in Killing of Toronto Boy, 8, Struck by Stray Bullet

Detectives have no suspect description, urging anyone who was in the nearby playground to contact police.

JahVai Roy, 8, was killed after he was struck by a stray bullet while sleeping in his family's North York apartment on Aug. 16, 2025.
JahVai posing for a photo on his first day of school, 2024. JahVai was sleeping by his mother’s side when he was shot by a stray bullet on Aug. 16 and killed instantly. He is being laid to rest Aug. 20 in his mother’s home of Wiikwemkoong.
A courtroom sketch from the 2010 trial in Toronto shows Tyshaun Barnett, left, and Louis Woodcock, middle, along with a Crown attorney and the judge. Last week, Barnett was found guilty of shooting a man in Vanier in 2022, causing non-fatal injuries.
A rally is set for city hall to protest gun violence in wake the death of eight-year-ol JahVai Roy

Overview

  • JahVai Roy was fatally hit by a bullet that entered his North York apartment around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, with two other units also struck, in what police call a cowardly act and the city’s 26th homicide of 2025.
  • A community vigil is scheduled Thursday evening near 15 Martha Eaton Way, with organizers asking attendees to wear blue, and a solidarity rally at Nathan Phillips Square is set for Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • The family is preparing to lay JahVai to rest in Wikwemikong on Manitoulin Island, with traditional ceremonies honoring his Ojibway-Jamaican heritage.
  • An online fundraiser for the family has surpassed $70,000 to support funeral costs, relocation and trauma counseling.
  • Family and community leaders note JahVai’s role with the One By One Movement’s child and youth council, as officials including Mayor Olivia Chow and Police Chief Myron Demkiw call for stronger action against illegal guns and sustained prevention efforts.