2 dead after shooting at park in Keswick: police

Posted September 18, 2024 11:14 am.

Last Updated September 18, 2024 1:57 pm.

Two people were found dead in a park in Keswick after police responded to reports of shots fired on Wednesday morning.

Officers were notified about the sound of gunshots at around 7:28 a.m. near Bayview Park in the Bayview and Lowndes avenues area.

Once on scene they located two adults with gunshot wounds in the park.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

York Regional Police Const. Kevin Nebrija said the victims’ next of kin have not yet been notified, limiting the information he could provide about them.

Nebrija called it an “isolated” incident and say there’s no further threat to the public.

He said police are currently trying to identify a suspect or suspects in the case.

“Our homicide unit is engaged and we are appealing to members of the community if they have any dashcam or security footage to please contact investigators,” he said.

“We are still trying to piece together what happened here today.”

Residents who live near the park told CityNews they woke up to find the usually quiet area teeming with first responders.

“I looked out my window and my street was full of police and paramedics. My mom was up, she heard the shots and woke me up,” said Olivia Poste.

“I’ve lived here my whole life … there’s never been anything that’s happened like this before,” she added. “It’s very scary because it’s obviously close to home.”

Another resident said she heard two rounds of shots.

“As I was coming down the stairs to make my kids breakfast, I heard a bunch of gunshots, probably around a dozen,” said Tiina, who lives around 30 to 40 feet from the park. “There was a few shots, then a pause, then a few more shots.”

Tiina said since the shooting she is feeling a bit paranoid and uneasy and is ensuring all the doors to her home are locked.