15-Year-Old St Lucian Fatally Shot Ahead of First Day of School

Mario Giddings

What was supposed to be a new beginning for 15-year-old Mario Giddings turned into a devastating tragedy for his family and community. Giddings, a student at Weston Collegiate Institute, was preparing to begin Grade 11 on Tuesday. Instead, those who knew and loved him are now mourning his untimely death after he was fatally shot on Monday evening.

The incident occurred in the parking lot of a plaza near Black Creek and Trethewey Drive, directly across from the 12 Division police station. Giddings, who had been living with his aunt and guardian, Fortunada Giddings, for the past five years, was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to the hospital.

Fortunada Giddings expressed her heartache and disbelief upon learning that her nephew had been the victim of the shooting. “What I want is justice for him. I want the police to arrest that person who did that to him because he didn’t deserve to die like that,” she told CTV News Toronto.

Fortunada had been looking after Mario since his parents remained in St. Lucia. The family lived in an apartment building next to the plaza where the shooting took place. Fortunada recounted the moment she saw paramedics attempting to resuscitate someone in the plaza, not realizing it was her nephew. “I could not believe that I was there looking at him dying and I didn’t know it was him.”

Toronto police were called to the scene around 7:46 p.m. on Monday after receiving reports of a shooting. Mario was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and despite life-saving efforts by first responders, he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

According to Mario’s aunt, he had been fearful about returning to school due to a recent altercation with other boys. “He told me that I had to look for another place for him to go to school because those boys will come back to me,” she said.

Insp. Ted Lioumanis of the Toronto Police homicide unit stated that Mario appeared to have been targeted in the shooting, though the motive remains unclear. Surveillance footage is being reviewed as investigators work to gather more information. A dark-coloured vehicle was seen entering the plaza shortly before the gunshots rang out, but no suspect information has been released at this time.

The loss of Mario has sent shockwaves through the community. Tanya John, whose sons were close friends with Mario, expressed the deep sense of grief felt by those who knew him. She mentioned the ongoing conflicts between different neighborhood groups, stating, “Nowhere around here is safe right now.”

As the investigation continues, the Giddings family and community are left grappling with their loss, hoping for justice and answers to come soon.