As sun streamed down on Saturday afternoon, Leslieville was full of life — parents pushing children in strollers, couples walking hand-in-hand.But at the corner of Queen and Carlaw, there was also a growing picture of grief — a tribute to 44-year-old Karolina Huebner-Makurat, killed in a daytime shooting Friday.What began in the morning as a handful of sunflowers — a single stem in a pot marked “Rest in Peace” and a small bouquet tucked behind a pipe — had swollen by midday to a half-dozen potted plants and arrangements of bright blooms. “We are so very sorry for your loss,” a note affixed to one plant read.The shooting on Friday, which has sent ripples through this east end community, took place just before 12:30 p.m. Police have said a shooting was reported near Queen and Carlaw, which they were later told followed an alleged verbal and physical altercation across the street. One person, identified at first only as a woman in her forties, was struck by a stray bullet.Life-saving efforts were attempted, police have said, and the woman was rushed to a Toronto trauma centre, but was ultimately pronounced dead.As the memorial grew on Saturday morning, the woman’s identity was still unknown to the public. But by early afternoon, police issued a press release naming the deceased as Huebner-Makurat. In an image released by the police service, Huebner-Makurat was pictured smiling widely across her shoulder, her blond hair tucked behind her ear and her wide blue eyes looking just beyond the camera.One woman standing by the memorial on Saturday, who identified herself only as Agnes, said she’d known Karolina — whom she said went by Caroline among friends — since they were children. The pair had connected through their involvement in Toronto’s Polish community, she said, stressing her friend’s goodness. “Everything about her was just beautiful,” Agnes told reporters, visibly moved by the display.City councillor Paula Fletcher, whose Toronto-Danforth ward includes Leslieville, said she’d never personally crossed paths with Huebner-Makurat, but since her passing on Friday, had been hearing about her cherished presence in the neighbourhood. The local mother was “a very well-known community member,” Fletcher said, and her death sent shockwaves through a school and daycare. “People are devastated … I think everybody is just in shock.”She’d seen the memorial beginning to grow on the north side of Queen and Carlaw, noting that kind of gesture was no surprise. “Leslieville is a community with great heart, great compassion and great caring,” she said. “There’s this total outpouring of grief and love for the family.”Across the road from the cluster of flowers and condolence notes, near where the alleged altercation took place, the South Riverdale Community Health Centre — which said on Friday it was working with local authorities on their investigation — had shut its doors. A security officer sitting out front said they’d been contracted to be there for the next two weeks, as a paper sign on the door informed passersby it would be closed for the rest of Friday and Saturday.Earlier in the morning, a parked car nearby was coated with what appeared to be fingerprint powder. Though the police tape that cordoned off the area had been taken down, there were still evidence markers visible on the south side of the road. Other quiet signs of the tragic day lingered on the streetscape, like a single first responder’s glove laying discarded by a planter. In its update Saturday afternoon, Toronto police said two male suspects in the shooting were still outstanding, of the three believed to be involved in the altercation. Their investigation suggested two of the males had discharged handguns at one another, striking Huebner-Makurat who was walking nearby.The suspects — one described as a Black male of medium build and six feet tall wearing a white shirt, the other a Black male wearing a dark T-shirt with a floral print and blue jeans – fled on foot, police alleged, appealing for anyone who had dash cam footage or CCTV video in the area to contact investigators.The shooting appears to be yet another in a string of serious and seemingly random assaults in the city, including several fatal incidents on city sidewalks and transit, in the last 12 months.Victoria Gibson is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering affordable housing. Reach her via email: victoriagibson@thestar.ca
As sun streamed down on Saturday afternoon, Leslieville was full of life — parents pushing children in strollers, couples walking hand-in-hand.
But at the corner of Queen and Carlaw, there was also a growing picture of grief — a tribute to 44-year-old Karolina Huebner-Makurat, killed in a daytime shooting Friday.
What began in the morning as a handful of sunflowers — a single stem in a pot marked “Rest in Peace” and a small bouquet tucked behind a pipe — had swollen by midday to a half-dozen potted plants and arrangements of bright blooms.
“We are so very sorry for your loss,” a note affixed to one plant read.
The shooting on Friday, which has sent ripples through this east end community, took place just before 12:30 p.m.
Police have said a shooting was reported near Queen and Carlaw, which they were later told followed an alleged verbal and physical altercation across the street. One person, identified at first only as a woman in her forties, was struck by a stray bullet.
Life-saving efforts were attempted, police have said, and the woman was rushed to a Toronto trauma centre, but was ultimately pronounced dead.
As the memorial grew on Saturday morning, the woman’s identity was still unknown to the public. But by early afternoon, police issued a press release naming the deceased as Huebner-Makurat.
In an image released by the police service, Huebner-Makurat was pictured smiling widely across her shoulder, her blond hair tucked behind her ear and her wide blue eyes looking just beyond the camera.
One woman standing by the memorial on Saturday, who identified herself only as Agnes, said she’d known Karolina — whom she said went by Caroline among friends — since they were children.
The pair had connected through their involvement in Toronto’s Polish community, she said, stressing her friend’s goodness.
“Everything about her was just beautiful,” Agnes told reporters, visibly moved by the display.
City councillor Paula Fletcher, whose Toronto-Danforth ward includes Leslieville, said she’d never personally crossed paths with Huebner-Makurat, but since her passing on Friday, had been hearing about her cherished presence in the neighbourhood. The local mother was “a very well-known community member,” Fletcher said, and her death sent shockwaves through a school and daycare. “People are devastated … I think everybody is just in shock.”
She’d seen the memorial beginning to grow on the north side of Queen and Carlaw, noting that kind of gesture was no surprise. “Leslieville is a community with great heart, great compassion and great caring,” she said. “There’s this total outpouring of grief and love for the family.”
Across the road from the cluster of flowers and condolence notes, near where the alleged altercation took place, the South Riverdale Community Health Centre — which said on Friday it was working with local authorities on their investigation — had shut its doors. A security officer sitting out front said they’d been contracted to be there for the next two weeks, as a paper sign on the door informed passersby it would be closed for the rest of Friday and Saturday.
Earlier in the morning, a parked car nearby was coated with what appeared to be fingerprint powder. Though the police tape that cordoned off the area had been taken down, there were still evidence markers visible on the south side of the road. Other quiet signs of the tragic day lingered on the streetscape, like a single first responder’s glove laying discarded by a planter.
In its update Saturday afternoon, Toronto police said two male suspects in the shooting were still outstanding, of the three believed to be involved in the altercation. Their investigation suggested two of the males had discharged handguns at one another, striking Huebner-Makurat who was walking nearby.
The suspects — one described as a Black male of medium build and six feet tall wearing a white shirt, the other a Black male wearing a dark T-shirt with a floral print and blue jeans – fled on foot, police alleged, appealing for anyone who had dash cam footage or CCTV video in the area to contact investigators.
The shooting appears to be yet another in a string of serious and seemingly random assaults in the city, including several fatal incidents on city sidewalks and transit, in the last 12 months.
Victoria Gibson is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering affordable housing. Reach her via email: victoriagibson@thestar.ca
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