The victim and suspect in a murder in Toronto’s East End have both been charged with firearms charges

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The shooting victim, Dequan Demos, made it to the hospital but could not be saved.

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According to Toronto police, the 21-year-old was shot on Dolly Varden Blvd just before 5 p.m. on September 5th. shot multiple times near Markham and Ellesmere Rds.

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According to police, two vehicles were traveling north on Dolly Varden when bullets flew from one vehicle to the other. Demos was hit, while a passenger escaped uninjured. They called the police.

Demos died from his injuries on September 5th.

Three days later, homicide detectives arrested Lawrence Bruce, 22, of Markham, and charged him with first-degree murder, attempted murder and firearm-related charges.

Bruce was previously charged by York Regional Police with a number of firearms and drug offenses. The outcome of this prosecution is unknown.

YRP filed charges against Bruce and another man in August 2020 after a speeding incident. The officer noticed that the driver allegedly had cannabis available. A loaded handgun was found during a search.

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The passenger was said to be in possession of cocaine and fentanyl. It is not clear whether Bruce was the driver or the passenger.

Demos was arrested in April this year as part of a wide-ranging, year-long gun and drug investigation dubbed “Project Moneypenny” involving law enforcement agencies from Canada and the United States

Toronto police, York Regional Police, Durham Regional Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Canada Border Services Agency and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives took part in the investigation.

According to police, undercover agents purchased deadly fentanyl and cocaine as well as 25 illegal weapons for “unidentified individuals.” Most of the weapons came from the USA

Demos was hit with five firearms-related charges. None of the allegations could be proven in court.

In total, investigators seized 86 firearms (75 handguns and 11 long guns) in the GTA, 87 firearms in Illinois, 45 over-capacity magazines, 1,454 rounds of ammunition, three automatic switches, three sets of body armor and approximately 1.5 kilos of fentanyl/carfentanil with an estimated street value of $300,000 as well as 1.8 kilos of cocaine with a street value of approximately $190,000 and $184,000 in cash.

Between November 2022 and March 2023, police arrested 42 people.