name was Jane Creba and she had a lot of friends, a good average in school and a very bright future ahead of her.
All of it was shattered in one terrifyingly blinding moment of senseless violence Monday, after a shooting at Yonge and Gould wounded six people and left the pretty blonde teenager with the big smile struggling for life. She died at the scene, the 52nd victim of Toronto's terrifying year of the gun.
Creba was a gifted Grade 10 student and athlete who attended Riverdale C.I. She lived in the Danforth and Coxwell area of the city and was well loved by her peers.
Her final outing was the same one hundreds of thousands of other G.T.A. residents made on Boxing Day - going shopping with her sister and her mother for bargains in stores along the Yonge St. strip.
That’s when a volley of shots rang out that cops believe came from dueling gangs who didn’t care about the innocent bystanders.
Since the thinkable became reality for her friends, they’ve been flocking to the makeshift memorial that’s quickly grown at the scene of the murder.
“It's disgusting,” relates friend Brittany Jeffrey, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I don't even know why this would happen. Why her, you know? She didn't deserve this at all. Like she was just walking out of a store. She was just shopping after Christmas.”
She also realizes what has shaken so many others – it could have been anyone in the wrong place at the wrong time. “I was here a couple hours earlier that same day,” Jeffrey shudders. “I was in the exact same spot and like nothing had happened.”
Jeffrey will never forget the joy Jane brought to all who knew her. “She was like a goofy little kid, you know?” she remembers. “It was like she was really funny. She was really sweet.”
But it was Dania Weinstein who may have spoken not only for her lost pal but also for the entire city.
“There's no reason whatsoever why it happened,” she cries. “And it's just so unjust.”
It’s going to be a difficult return to school for those who knew the young teen well. Classes don’t resume until Monday January 9th and until then, they continue to cope on their own, facing a truth no one their age should ever have to know.
Meanwhile, Jane’s family has released a statement on their incalculable loss. It remembers the teenager as a best friend to her sister and a protector of her younger brother. And it calls her a loving and caring soul with a cheerful open heart.
As her relatives search for closure and justice, so do police. The two men arrested at the Castle Frank Subway station Monday night have not been officially linked to the shooting. But detectives are continuing the hunt for as many as 10-15 suspects, after the holiday melee drew blood and headlines across the world.
And they promise they won’t give up until they find them.
All of it was shattered in one terrifyingly blinding moment of senseless violence Monday, after a shooting at Yonge and Gould wounded six people and left the pretty blonde teenager with the big smile struggling for life. She died at the scene, the 52nd victim of Toronto's terrifying year of the gun.
Creba was a gifted Grade 10 student and athlete who attended Riverdale C.I. She lived in the Danforth and Coxwell area of the city and was well loved by her peers.
Her final outing was the same one hundreds of thousands of other G.T.A. residents made on Boxing Day - going shopping with her sister and her mother for bargains in stores along the Yonge St. strip.
That’s when a volley of shots rang out that cops believe came from dueling gangs who didn’t care about the innocent bystanders.
Since the thinkable became reality for her friends, they’ve been flocking to the makeshift memorial that’s quickly grown at the scene of the murder.
“It's disgusting,” relates friend Brittany Jeffrey, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I don't even know why this would happen. Why her, you know? She didn't deserve this at all. Like she was just walking out of a store. She was just shopping after Christmas.”
She also realizes what has shaken so many others – it could have been anyone in the wrong place at the wrong time. “I was here a couple hours earlier that same day,” Jeffrey shudders. “I was in the exact same spot and like nothing had happened.”
Jeffrey will never forget the joy Jane brought to all who knew her. “She was like a goofy little kid, you know?” she remembers. “It was like she was really funny. She was really sweet.”
But it was Dania Weinstein who may have spoken not only for her lost pal but also for the entire city.
“There's no reason whatsoever why it happened,” she cries. “And it's just so unjust.”
It’s going to be a difficult return to school for those who knew the young teen well. Classes don’t resume until Monday January 9th and until then, they continue to cope on their own, facing a truth no one their age should ever have to know.
Meanwhile, Jane’s family has released a statement on their incalculable loss. It remembers the teenager as a best friend to her sister and a protector of her younger brother. And it calls her a loving and caring soul with a cheerful open heart.
As her relatives search for closure and justice, so do police. The two men arrested at the Castle Frank Subway station Monday night have not been officially linked to the shooting. But detectives are continuing the hunt for as many as 10-15 suspects, after the holiday melee drew blood and headlines across the world.
And they promise they won’t give up until they find them.
