Arrest made in playground shooting

A Scarborough community is feeling a sense of relief today, after Toronto Police say they have arrested the shooter in Thursday’s playground attack.

Police are still looking for others who were involved.

Twenty-one year old Sheldon Eriya of Markham has been charged with two counts of attempted murder.

Police say he’s the man that opened fire towards this park in broad daylight, stray bullets hitting two young sisters in Scarborough.

Toronto Mayor John Tory has called it a despicable crime, and is pleased about the arrest made today.

“We got to get these people off the street and serve notice to anyone else that carries a gun, who would even think of doing such a thing that they are going to be rounded up and we are going to make sure they are put away” he says.

It’s a senseless crime that has shaken the townhouse community on Alton Town circle. Toronto Police have called it cowardly. The sisters, one is five, the other, nine, were seriously injured. The younger child was shot in the stomach, the other in the leg.

The mother of the two girls say they are both doing very well in recovery.

It was 5 o’clock in the afternoon on Thursday, when police say a man opened fire near a condo building at McCowan Road, with the intent of hitting someone else. Instead, 10 bullets went through this wooden fence. Eleven children were playing in the playground right behind it.

Eriya was arrested this morning in Pickering. He appeared in court today in Toronto.

Along with the two charges of attempted murder, Sheldon Eriya also faces charges of discharging a firearm, two counts of aggravated assault and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Toronto Police are still searching for two other men involved in this incident, how they were involved is not known.