Eddie J. Grant, Gleaner WriterTORONTO, Canada:
WHAT WAS supposed to be a night of fun and excitement at a birthday party ended in tragedy when a gunman sprayed guests with bullets, leaving one woman dead. Five persons were injured.
Livette Moore, 26, died on the spot in a hail of bullets early Sunday morning at the Prestige Palace, a restaurant and club on Milvan Drive in the North York area of Toronto.
Prestige Palace, which is owned by a Jamaican, is a popular spot for parties and other celebratory events.
Moore had been trying to overcome the severe setback she encountered from the passing last year of her husband, who died of cancer. The husband's death left her struggling to raise four children, while holding hold down a job.
To help raise her spirits and lift her out of her depressive mood, friends encouraged her to join them at the Prestige Palace party. But shortly after 3 a.m., gunmen entered the club. They smuggled weapons past security guards at the door and entered the hall where more than 200 guests were having fun.
HIT IN CROSSFIRE
The gunmen fired across the crowded hall, hitting Moore in the crossfire. She died instantly on the floor. Homicide Detective Wayne Banks said shots were still being fired when officers arrived on the scene.
"It's a tragedy on a tragedy," said Banks. "We have lost a young lady, one of our citizens, who was here to enjoy a party. She has been gunned down in the early part of her life, and that is disgusting.''
Banks, the lead detective in the case, said people are fed up and are really taking this latest incident to heart. The detective expressed confidence that people will decide that enough is enough and come forward with information to help solve the shooting murder. He urged residents to come forward to help find the gunmen, whom he described as a bunch of cowards who had robbed four children of their mother.
Newly sworn-in Toronto Police Chief, Bill Blair, also visited the scene and called the tragedy "Really quite outrageous."
He said police are working with nightclub operators and bar owners across the city to assist them in improving the quality of their security.
It is reported that the regular security officers who normally work at the Prestige Palace were not present on the night of the weekend shooting.
The wanton gun violence has sparked outrage and open displays of grief among all residents of Toronto. For those in the black and Caribbean community, many said the incident tore at their hearts and happened at a time when they thought such gunplay was over.
Moore's distraught father, Amos Reid, broke down at news at his daughter's death and had to be comforted by relatives and friends.
"She was my daughter and my friend,'' Reid said. "She means everything to me. She just went out to have fun, now I have four little ones to take care of.''
The Funeral for Moore is schedule for May 7.
