Police hunt for clues at the town houses where Kesean Williams, 9, was shot Wednesday night.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail
Kesean Williams was killed by an unknown shooter who appears to have fired just a single bullet.
Peel Regional detectives would not disclose the calibre of the weapon. Nor would they even say whether the window of his living room had been shattered or merely pierced.
How, then, might they have concluded that the home had been targeted?
The best explanation is likely that forensic experts discovered that the killer's gun had been fired at very close range, just outside the window.
At 10:30 p.m., Peel Regional Police officers responded to a report of an incident involving a gunshot victim: Kesean had been shot in the head.
He was rushed to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, where he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday morning.
"It's early on in the investigation," said Superintendent George Koekkoek, who leads the homicide squad. "I can't get into the actual location" of where the gunman might have stood when he opened fire, he said.
Police dogs stalked the area Thursday morning, but no shell casings were found.
Peel Regional Police Chief Jennifer Evans – though unsure of who, specifically, was being targeted – said the shooting at the Ardglen Drive residence was no accident.
"Kesean was an innocent young boy who was senselessly murdered in his own home," said Chief Evans. "This is a tragedy for the family and the friends of young Kesean, and our entire community."
Supt. Koekkoek said the target could have been a member of a family who previously lived in the townhouse. The Williams family moved into the residence from Hamilton just last week.
On Twitter, Kesean's brother grieved in an outpouring of pain-laced posts.
" Why my brother why him god what he do wrong," Kajan wrote.
"Kesean was all about love and jokes man .. Why my bro :'(," he later added.
His last tweet, shortly after midnight on Friday morning, said: " Been up since 11 am Wednesday I cannot sleep."
As of Thursday night, police said there were no suspects, though they know the gunman – or gunmen – fled on foot after Kesean was hit.
Police seized a taxi and arrested three people at the scene Wednesday night, but the individuals have since been deemed witnesses as opposed to suspects.
They added that while no members of the Williams family are known to police, the neighbourhood is.
Brampton local Carlos Pacheco, 40, described Kesean's area as "the hood" of Brampton – a low-income area known for drug use and vandalism.
Peel Regional Police officers are looking to see if there is any surveillance footage of the townhouses.
"My officers will work tirelessly to apprehend the person or persons responsible for Kesean's death," said Chief Evans.
The shooting marks the third homicide that Peel Regional Police have seen this month, and comes during what seems to be a trend of gun violence in Toronto.
But for the time being, Brampton residents share their condolences on a Facebook page dedicated to Kesean, where Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell has also expressed her grief.
"During this sombre time of mourning, I ask all Bramptonians to offer their thoughts and prayers to Kesean's family."