Mistaken identity. Target shooting. In the wrong place at the wrong time.
As media across Toronto search for the right phrases to describe what happened, police continue to work towards an answer for why a 16-year-old was shot dead on his doorstep almost two weeks ago.
Keyon Campbell was playing video games with a friend at his home on Empringham Drive just after 1 a.m. on Dec. 2 when his mother, Sandra, asked him to warm up the car so she could take his friend home.
Keyon stepped outside and was shot. The gunman reportedly fled on foot.
Desperate to save her son’s life, Sandra performed CPR on him but it wasn’t enough. Keyon died in his mother’s arms.
Since his death, many allegations have surfaced to try to explain why this young man was shot.
Det. Hank Idsinga does not believe this was a random shooting, and there have been rumours through Facebook, friends and word of mouth that seems to back the assertion up.
“I think it was a targeted crime,” Idsinga told the Observer. “But I’m not prepared to say that he was the specific target yet.”
Whether Keyon was the wrong target or his death was an act of retaliation, the police would not say. But Idsinga did confirm that Keyon was “a good kid.”
“He had no criminal record whatsoever,” Idsinga said. “People that we’ve spoken to said he was an up-and-coming kid with good marks and athleticism and a great future ahead of him.”
The funeral is scheduled for Sat., Dec. 15 at Malvern Christian Assembly near Neilson Road and Sheppard Avenue, starting at noon.