York Regional Police are seeing a sharp increase in violent crime this year, in particular homicides, in the wake of multiple incidents this summer.
There have been 15 homicides this year in York Region, one of which occurred in Newmarket in July, nearly double the eight that occurred last year.
“All the victims in these cases were targeted,” said Chief Jim MacSween. “These were not random crimes. However, we do understand these crimes can shake our community to its core and are extremely tragic for the victims' family members and loved ones. For them, we are committed to finding justice and restoring a sense of safety in the community.”
Executives for the police force presented year-to-date crime trends at a news conference today at police headquarters in Aurora. They state there have been five homicides alone since July 25 and recognize the trend is frightening to many in the community.
“We have been advocating that a number of these homicides have been targeted, but I will say the one concern is the homicides that are in relation to gender-based violence,” said Deputy Chief Alvaro Almeida. “Intimate partner violence is a major concern to us.”
Mackenzie Gill of Toronto was charged in the stabbing death of Newmarket resident Blake Bibby. Police were called to 464 Millard Ave. July 14 at about 10:30 p.m., where he had been stabbed and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
In another incident, police discovered the human remains of a prominent realtor, 56-year-old Yuk-Ying (Anita) Mui on Aug. 9. Investigators are treating her death as a homicide and continue to investigate why she was targeted.
“It is unfortunate that that is one area where we do see that intimate partner violence is a major cause of a lot of these homicides and as much as we do to raise awareness about this issue, we need the media’s help and the public’s help to assist us in raising the alarm," said Almeida.
In another case, Changlin Yang, 26, of East Gwillimbury is charged in connection to the death of Ying Zhang, 57, of Markham. Police discovered her remains on July 29.
Trevor Wheeler, 68, of Vaughan was charged in connection to the death of 64-year-old Estella Wheeler of Vaughan on March 6. Police discovered she was seriously injured in a house on Isa Court, near Highway 27 and Langstaff Road, when police responded to a call at about 12:30 a.m.
Despite the increase in violent crime, MacSween said York Region remains one of the safest regions in Canada. According to the data from the community safety portal, there have been 376 assaults in Newmarket and 161 assaults in Aurora.
“I know I speak for every member of York Regional Police when I say that we are very proud and privileged to serve the people of this region,” said MacSween. “Over the course of the summer, I heard from residents who are concerned about the rising rates of violent crime.”
Police report a 92 per cent annual increase in gun crime from August 2023 and a 106 per cent increase in carjackings from Aug. 2023. It attributes the spike in gun violence to organized crime groups, who they say are responsible for a nationwide increase in auto thefts since 2020.
Carjackings, while mainly occurring in the south end of York Region, are not exclusive to those areas as there have been incidents in Newmarket and Aurora, though not as frequent.
According to the community safety portal, there have been about 13 Dodge RAM 1500, 11 Ford F150, and eight Jeep Rangers stolen.
“I’m not saying they don’t happen here, I’m saying they do happen from time to time,” said MacSween. “Predominantly, where this trend is occurring is in the south end. The highest population of our region resides in the three south-end cities, as well. It is an opportunity for people to have access to high-end vehicles.”
Police say ongoing conflicts within the tow truck industry have led to an increase in gun violence and arson, as some groups have used tactics as a means of threatening and intimidating their business rivals.
Access to illegal firearms remains a major concern for police. The force is advocating levels of government for bail reform and stricter sentencing for firearm offences.
“The trend in violent gun crime is a major concern,” said MacSween. “My top priority is to invest as many resources as we have available to combat this trend, to ensure the residents of York Region are not only kept safe, but they also feel safe.”
York Region will launch a dedicated carjacking unit for investigations with a complementary auto theft prevention campaign, Autoguard 2.0, to outline the steps community members can take to protect their vehicles.
Hate crime also rose by four per cent year over year. Police state the growing levels of hate crime and hate-motivated incidents continue to be a concern. Members of the force have been in regular, ongoing contact with faith leaders and members of community groups.
“I am asking people across the region to work with police to ensure our community remains one of the safest in the country,” said MacSween.
