Seven months after the incident, Barrie police have named a suspect in the September 2023 bombing on Anne Street, but details pertaining to motive, or even how the man was identified by investigators, remain scarce.
On April 29, police identified their suspect as 36-year-old William Ivan Downey. He is wanted for his alleged involvement in the early morning explosion that took place Sept. 27, 2023 in a parking lot at 108A Anne St. N., near the bridge over Highway 400. The explosion was reported shortly before 3 a.m.
Downey is described as being five-foot-five tall and weighing 160 pounds with a slim build and a full beard, but police say he may have changed his appearance by shaving his head.
Downey is believed to be somewhere in the Greater Toronto Area, with a "strong belief" that he could be somewhere in Toronto, York Region or Durham Region.
“We are hopeful that somebody recognizes that individual, and if he is local to contact Barrie police,” said Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon. “If he’s in the GTA, whether it be Toronto, York Region or Durham, (we ask) that they contact their local police service by dialing 911. Under no circumstances do we want anyone to approach this individual.”
An improvised explosive device (IED) had been placed around the gas-cap area of a white SUV in the lot. The device had exploded, damaging surrounding vehicles, prior to emergency crews arriving.
When asked about the suspect’s motive behind the bombing, Leon said he was unable to go into specifics.
“That forms part of the ongoing investigation that is still very active and being conducted by the Barrie police major crime unit,” he said.
Leon also said he was unable to specify why Downey has been identified as a potential suspect in the bombing, which resulted in several road closures in the area of Anne Street and Edgehill Drive for more than 16 hours, as well as the Anne Street bridge over Highway 400 for part of the morning.
About 20 people living in two nearby apartment buildings also had to be evacuated from their homes that morning.
“As you may recall, there was a small detonation that occurred the day of this incident and, as a result of the post-explosion team's examination, there were some fragments that were able to be located and subsequently examined at a later date,” Leon said.
At the time of the blast, Ontario Provincial Police's urban search and rescue (USAR) unit, as well as the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRNE) response team, were on scene assisting with the investigation.
No serious injuries were reported.
The incident caused a bit of chaos in the city that day, Leon acknowledged.
“This was a very large investigation and it did certainly affect a significant amount of people in that immediate area who reside there — not to mention those people who would use Anne Street and the adjacent roads to traverse,” he said.
“It’s important to realize and recognize that in addition to other investigations that are ongoing, our detectives have been able to, through their good work and the investigative assistance they’ve received, identify the person that is responsible," Leon added.
