Sten submachine gun, Bren light machine gun and a Bock bolt-action rifle — were stolen during a break-in at the historic Toronto castle

Patrick Maier-Trevizan of Toronto and Piotr Baczynski of Mississauga are each charged with breaking and entering. Baczynski is also charged with possession of stolen property.19-year-old Mississauga man is one of two people facing charges after three antique guns were stolen from Casa Loma over the weekend.The non-functioning firearms — a Sten submachine gun, Bren light machine gun and a Bock bolt-action rifle — were stolen during a break-in at the historic Toronto castle early Saturday.The weapons, which have since been recovered by police, went missing from a Queen's Own Rifles exhibit on the third floor of Casa Loma at about 2 a.m. Police say two men climbed to the second level of the castle, smashed a window and climbed into the building. Once inside, the duo smashed a glass display case of decommissioned firearms and military artifacts. Police say the men removed firearms and other property from the building and concealed the items among bushes, then fled the area. One of the men later returned to the scene and took the stolen property.
Toronto Police Det. Colin Greenaway said the thieves apparently buried the guns in Mississauga after realizing that it had been "an error in judgement" to take them.
Police located the weapons Monday and arrested two men.
Piotr Baczynski, of Mississauga, and Patrick Maier-Trevizan, 19, of Toronto, are each charged with break-and-enter to commit an indictable offence. Baczynski is also charged with possession of property obtained by crime.Three days after Casa Loma was robbed of artifacts from the Second World War, Toronto police say they have arrested two suspects. Det. Colin Greenaway from 13 Division told reporters Tuesday that police had recovered three weapons that were stolen from the popular tourist destination.Casa Loma was robbed sometime between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Saturday morning after at least two suspects used a construction scaffolding outside the castle to access a second-storey window. The window was smashed and the suspects were able to access artifacts from the Queen's Own Rifle exhibit. A helmet as well as three weapons -- a Bock bolt-action rifle, a Sten submachine gun and a Bren light machine gun -- were stolen from the exhibit. "The weapons had been professionally decomissioned and therefore could not operate as firearms," Greenaway said.Greenaway said the stolen artifacts were hidden in some bushes before the suspects fled the scene. He said a suspect later returned to the scene and recovered the stolen property.The suspects may have been drinking before heading to Casa Loma, said the detective.Police told CTV.ca on Sunday that they followed a one-kilometre trail of blood from the castle, down the scaffolding, north along Spadina Road until St. Clair Avenue West. A significant amount of blood was found meaning a suspect, or suspects, probably suffered a serious injury, said Det. Const. Bryan Campbell. It is not believed the suspects were involved in an altercation.
Campbell said detectives were investigating whether the exhibit was targeted by the thieves.Two 19-year-old men are facing charges.

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James Park,Orin Moses each face 17 gun-related charges

Toronto police seized four illegal guns yesterday during two operations in the city’s northeast end. Two sawed-off rifles and a sawed-off shotgun were found when the Emergency Task Force raided a home on Ranstone Gardens, in the Kennedy Ave. and Lawrence Ave. E. area, late last night. James Park, 18, of Ajax, and Orin Moses, 27, of Toronto, each face 17 gun-related charges. Park also faces an additional charge of failing to comply with his recognizance. Earlier in the day, officers pulled over a vehicle on Tuxedo Ct., in the Markham and Ellesmere Rds. area, around 2:20 p.m. A loaded gun was found, and the two men inside were arrested. The driver then "pushed the officer to avoid being arrested," police said in a release Friday.


Mujiburahman Safi, 26, and Hakim Yousofi, 27, each face six charges in relation to the gun found in the car. Safi, the driver, was also charged with resisting arrest and failing to comply with his recognizance. The four men were scheduled to appear in court today. Police confiscated four other guns in similar incidents earlier this week. The guns and gangs Unit arrested a man on Monday, seizing a semi-automatic gun and some ammunition. Early Saturday morning, a Cadillac was pulled over in the entertainment district. Police found and seized three loaded guns, and charged the three men inside with a total of 56 gun- and drug-related offences.

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Kenrick Rowe,Juno Daniel was banned by a court from having a firearm for 10 years for a previous incident involving a firearm.

Kenrick Rowe, 31, and Juno Daniel, 25, both of Toronto, are charged with robbery while armed, possessing an unregistered restricted firearm, possessing a restricted firearm with ammunition, possessing a restricted knowing it's unauthorized, and wearing a disguise with intent to commit an indictable offence. Daniel is also charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a firearm with prohibited.
banned from having a firearm for a decade by a court was arrested with a loaded handgun following a store robbery in Etobicoke. Toronto holdup Det.-Sgt. John Brown said uniformed officers recovered the 9 mm pistol in a high-risk takedown at Alliance Ave. and Rockcliffe Blvd. shortly after the 9:41 p.m. Thursday robbery of the Islington Ave. shop.
Brown said plainclothes officers spotted a vehicle matching the one seen fleeing the convenience store.
Two suspects who obscured their faces by wearing balaclavas, wigs, hoodies and gloves threatened the clerk with the pistol, he said.
The suspects took some cash and then fled scene, leaving the victim shaken but uninjured, Brown said.
A patrolling plainsclothes team spotted the vehicle and followed it until marked cruisers were able to move in and assist in the arrests of the two suspects.
Police said the loaded handgun was found on the person of one of the suspects.
Police sources said one suspect was banned by a court from having a firearm for 10 years for a previous incident involving a firearm.

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John O'Keefe,Edward Paredes,Awet Zekarias

Toronto residents Edward Paredes, 22, and Awet Zekarias, 23, are each charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder. They were to appear via video link to set a date for a bail hearing. A group of John O'Keefe's friends made the plea outside the Old City Hall courthouse where the victim's accused killers were appearing on Friday.
"We need to wake up here in Canada. He was shot in the heart of our city, in the heart of our country. It is unacceptable, it is ridiculous," Jennifer Allen told CTV Toronto.
"There is only one purpose for handguns, and that is to kill people ... and we need to ban handguns, not only in the city of Toronto, but in the entire country."
Allen said the federal government should also impose stiff mandatory minimum sentences for those who use guns in the commission of a crime.
"It needs to happen now. Action needs to taken, and we're not going to let this die," she said.
Another friend said any act of violence is troubling.
"I'm always surprised when someone is taken through an act of violence, whether it's (today), whether it was three years ago, 10 years ago, whether I knew them or not," said Marianna Ramacciotti. "It's something that we tend to be jaded about."
The group said they support Mayor David Miller's call for a handgun ban and federal NDP Leader Jack Layton's plan to reduce gun crimes.
Last weekend, Layton said called for on the federal government to, among other things, hire more police officers, improve witness protection problems and hold a cross-border summit to find ways to stop the flow of illegal handguns being smuggled into Canada.
O'Keefe, a 42-year-old father of a young boy, was shot in the head while walking down Yonge Street on Jan. 12. Police say two patrons who were ejected from the Brass Rail strip club that night had returned with a handgun.
A bullet fired outside the club, which investigators say was intended for a bouncer, struck O'Keefe in the head.
Their court appearances on Friday came on the day another innocent bystander killed by gunfire was laid to rest.

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Hou Chang Mao

Hou Chang Mao, 47, was working at Fu Yao Supermarket, at 643 Gerrard St. East, near Broadview Avenue, when he was hit in the chest by a stray bullet shortly after 6 p.m. He was taken to hospital but could not be revived.
Homicide investigators said Hou, who has a 23-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter, was an innocent bystander.
"He didn't walk in the way. He was working," Det. Sgt. Pauline Grey said at a press conference. "He wasn't walking in the path of gunfire. He was going about his everyday business."
Grey said at least two people were involved in the gun battle and two handguns were used as different shell casings were found at the scene.
Investigators are urging two young men who witnessed the shooting to contact police.
"These two gentlemen know what's happened, they know why it happened, and this is their opportunity to come to the Toronto Police Service homicide squad and tell us that information," Grey said.
The witnesses are described as two young black men, about 6-feet-tall, who fled in a small, silver-coloured vehicle that had a "very shiny" front grill.
Grey said officers are poring over surveillance camera footage in the area.
She also appealed to anyone who was in the area during the shooting to call police and tell them what they heard or saw.
"It was very busy at 6 p.m. I can tell you that the streets were full -- it was like Manhattan, and there are many, many people out there who saw what happened," Grey said. "They don't have to know the whole story, they just have to see one little, tiny piece."
Grey, who wouldn't comment on the specifics of the investigation or a possible motive, said the culprits must know they've committed a terrible act.
"Even they have to understand the depth of what they've done. They cannot, in all good conscience, walk away and know that they've killed an innocent man who was doing his job," she said.
"That has to touch somewhere, that they've been involved in something truly horrific."
Police say the incident was sparked by an argument between several people, which resulted in guns being drawn. Several shots were fired. One shop had a bullet hole in its front window and the windshield of a parked car was also hit.


Those who knew Hou described him as a hard-working, honest man who was well liked in the neighbourhood. Just last week, he helped hang Chinese New Year banners in the area, friends said.
Hou came to Canada from China two years ago, and has worked at the store for that time. His wife lives in China.
Hou lived with his daughter Yun Yam and son Zoo-Zee just a 10-minute walk from where he worked. Other relatives, who also lived at the home, are "extremely upset and extremely distraught," police told CTV Toronto.
The city is setting up a trust fund at Scotiabank to help the family pay for the funeral.
Local residents said they were shocked by the death and shaken by the frightening incident.
"I shop there all time," said one woman. "It could have been me -- I went home from work early yesterday."
"I think there were two bangs, and then four," one witness said. "I wondered what it was. I could have been right there."
The slaying marks the city's third so far this year, and the second time in one week that an innocent bystander has been shot dead on a busy Toronto street.
Early Saturday morning, 42-year-old John O'Keefe was caught in a deadly crossfire as he walked on Yonge Street. O'Keefe, a father of one, was not the intended target. He was shot once in the head and pronounced dead at the scene. Two men have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in the slaying.

O'Keefe was laid to rest on Friday. Those in attendance expressed disbelief that it could happen again so soon.

"It's so very tragic for everybody. And I wish they could do something, because guns kill people. That's what they do," one woman said.

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Another innocent man shot down in dinnertime "gun battle"

A man shot to death during a dinnertime "gun battle" in east Chinatown yesterday is believed to have been an innocent bystander, the second to be killed in the city by gunfire in a week.
Police arrived at the Fu Yao Supermarket on Gerrard Street East near Broadview Avenue about 6:10 p.m. after witnesses reported seeing two men shooting at one another nearby.
Staff Sergeant Courtney Chambers said the victim, believed to be in his 40s, was much farther down the street when he was struck. He had collapsed in front of the grocery store and had no vital signs when emergency crews arrived, police said. The man was taken to St. Michael's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"One of the angles we're looking at at this time is that he was an innocent bystander," Staff Sgt. Chambers said.

Shell casings were found strewn across the street and a bullet had gone through the storefront window.
Staff Sgt. Chambers said officers are canvassing the neighbourhood, adding that they expect several witnesses to come forward because it is a busy street, especially at that time of day.
A man who identified himself as Phil told reporters at the scene he heard as many as six shots and saw two men run toward a car. Kristin Carson, who lives across the street, told reporters she saw the man lying in the doorway of the store.
Police said they're looking for at least two people, who fled the scene in a silver car. No arrests had been made as of last night.
Standing in front of the crime scene last night, Police Chief Bill Blair said: "It's happened again tonight."
Chief Blair earlier condemned the brazen shooting on CP24's The Chief. "The loss of another innocent life is senseless and reckless," he said. "Use of guns on our streets is totally unacceptable and frankly, for every man and woman of my service who work so hard to keep our city safe, it's frustrating, it's infuriating and we're absolutely committed to getting those gunmen off the street and doing everything we can to keep our city safe."
The death is the third homicide of this year.
Early Saturday morning, John O'Keefe, a 42-year-old father, was on his way to the subway after a night at a pub on Yonge Street when he walked into the path of a bullet intended for someone else. Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with that incident.
A trust fund has been set up for Mr. O'Keefe's only child, Iain O'Keefe-Kaufmann, 9. Donations go toward Iain's education and can be made at Toronto Scotiabank branches.

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Paredes was a member of a private Gormley gun club called The Grange

Mr. Paredes was a member of a private Gormley gun club called The Grange, according to James Cox, the chairman of the umbrella sporting club.
Mr. Cox said Mr. Paredes, who appears on the club’s registration as a student, had to take two firearm safety courses and eight probationary shootings before he was given a permit.
“You can transport a firearm to the range and back home again, with reasonable stops, but not drinking at the bar,” Mr. Cox said in an interview. He said supervisors keep a close watch on members while inside the club and report anyone who does anything dangerous.
The Chief Firearms Office does issue an “authorization to carry” a restricted gun to someone who proves that he or she needs it for protection, or that it is essential to their job. Police said Mr. Paredes did not have such a permit.
“I would like to believe, and do believe, that people who take the time to take the training course, get their licence lawfully, acquire their firearms lawfully, sign up in a gun club, by and large are the decent people who are really trying to do things right,” said Tony Cooper, Deputy Chief Firearms Officer of Ontario. “And it’s an anomaly when somebody goes left of centre
Mr. Paredes was the registered owner of the handgun allegedly used in the murder, but did not have the authorization to carry it with him to the strip club. The accused allegedly intended to shoot one of the Brass Rail bouncers who had kicked them out minutes earlier.
It was Mr. Paredes who allegedly fired the shot, but Det. Sgt. Nielson said the murder was a “joint venture” between both accused. “In first-degree, it doesn’t have to be a lengthy, complex plan,” he said. Police do not believe the accused were intoxicated.
Both men were remanded into custody after making brief court appearances yesterday in front of family and friends. At one point, Mr. Paredes’ girlfriend burst into tears, and had to be comforted by his father.
Mr. Paredes and Mr. Zekarias do not have a criminal records, said Det. Sgt. Nielson. Mayor David Miller expressed his shock over the city’s second homicide, a few blocks from where Jane Creba was killed on Boxing Day 2005.
“The fact that a fairly young man legally had a gun is shocking. What does a 22-year-old in a city like Toronto need with a handgun?” Mr. Miller said. “That’s just not acceptable.”
The Mayor said he would consider expanding the numbers of closed-circuit television cameras on Yonge Street. “It’s time that together as Torontonians and Canadians we put an end to the ownership of handguns in our society.”

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Awet Zekarias( Update )

Awet Zekarias, 23, stood in the prisoners' box in 111 Court at Old City Hall, nodding that they understood the charges and that they had to apply for bail in Superior Court.
Paredes, who wore a black quilted winter jacket, kept his eyes forward, looking towards the bench, as did Zekarias, clad in a black T-shirt.
Zekarias' mother sat alone two rows behind the box, her hands held in prayer by her mouth as she rocked and wept.
In the same courtroom, the women in Paredes' extended family were either crying or were visibly upset, while the men remained stoic.
After the brief hearing, during which they were ordered to reappear in the same court this morning, Zekarias sought out his mother, pursed his lips and shook his head indicating that he wasn't being released.

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Edward Paredes,Awet Zekarias

Police have charged Edward Paredes, a 22-year-old Toronto resident, and Awet Zekarias, a 23-year-old also from Toronto.
The victim has not been positively identified. He is the Toronto's 2nd homicide victim of the year.Toronto police have arrested two men in connection with a murder outside a downtown strip club.
Two suspects have been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder for a fatal shooting outside the Brass Rail Club at 701 Yonge Street early Saturday morning.
They were arrested later Saturday by homicide detectives and officers with the Gun and Gang Task Force.
Witnesses standing outside the strip club at around 1 a.m. Saturday morning when the shooting occurred gave police descriptions of two men seen running from the scene.
Police say two men got into a scuffle inside the club and were kicked out by staff.
At first, both men walked away from the club but then turned and came back towards the Brass Rail.

One of the men allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired, striking a man who was standing outside the club.

The man, who police say was not the intended target, was shot once in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.




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