8-Year-Old Lost To Gun Violence While Sleeping In His Bed

Toronto is grieving the loss of 8-year-old JahVai Roy, an Indigenous boy who was killed by a stray bullet on August 16. He was lying in bed with his mother, where he should have been safe, when a bullet fired by a teenager outside their apartment near Martha Eaton Way and Trethewey Drive took his life. This senseless murder has shaken the city to its core.

What’s troubling is that the government’s repeated warnings against gun ownership—including a buyback program encouraging gun owners to exchange their weapons for cash—have not successfully curbed the pervasive “gun culture” that exists in certain segments of Canadian society.

Since May 2020, the federal government has banned more than 2,500 types of what it classifies as assault-style firearms—semi-automatics designed for sustained rapid fire. As Associate Minister of Public Safety, Rachel Bendayan stated, “Let’s be clear. These are weapons of war… firearms designed specifically to kill as many people as possible in the least amount of time possible.”

As of August 2025, the city has recorded approximately 160 shootings, resulting in 12 fatalities and 66 injuries. While this represents a 46% decrease from the same period last year, the numbers are meaningless for grieving families when a child’s life is lost.

Racialized families are disproportionately affected by this violence. In Canada, Indigenous individuals experience violent crime at significantly higher rates than non-Indigenous individuals, and historically, Toronto’s Black communities have faced higher rates of gun homicides. For many, JahVai’s death is not an isolated incident but part of a devastating pattern.

In connection with JahVai’s death, police have charged a 16-year-old boy with first-degree murder and multiple firearm offences. Two other suspects, aged 17 and 18, remain at large. While this arrest may be a step toward justice, it underscores a painful reality: gun violence impacts not only adults but also children.

In an effort to demand change and reform, residents from across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) will gather at Nathan Phillips Square on Saturday, September 13, 2025, for a march organized by the Black Action Defence Committee. The march will proceed to Queen’s Park and is expected to draw families, youth, and faith leaders.

“Our city is on fire, and we are losing our children and youth,” organizers posted on social media. They encourage young people to attend not only for JahVai but for every friend or family member lost to gun violence.

Buses will be available from Scarborough, Etobicoke, and Lawrence Heights for attendees. The march begins at 2 p.m.

For a city in mourning, this event is more than just a protest; it is a collective call to grieve, resist, and advocate for a safer future for all children in the GTA.