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Toronto man who deliberately shot an unarmed stranger given life sentence – Toronto
A Toronto man who shot and killed an unarmed stranger has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 18 years.
Superior Court Justice Maureen Forestell called the murder of John Wheeler “profoundly serious” give it was the result of the fact that 18-year-old Christopher Mitchell wanted to avoid potentially being apprehended by police for a break-and-enter.
Last October, Mitchell pleaded guilty to second-degree murder admitting that on Aug. 12, 2020, he shot and killed Wheeler with a shotgun outside the apartment building at 1350 Danforth Rd. where Wheeler lived.
Mitchell and another person attended the apartment complex with the intention of breaking into a convenience store. They were in an alcove near the store when Wheeler emerged from the lobby of the apartment building to make his way to work.
Wheeler glanced in the direction of the alcove and looked at his phone before moving to the driveway to wait for his ride to work. Mr. Mitchell believed that Mr. Wheeler was contacting the police. Mr. Mitchell removed a shotgun from the duffel bag he was carrying. He crept up behind Mr. Wheeler and shot him in the back.
Wheeler, a 45-year-old man who delivered drywall for a living, had texted his friend to tell him he was outside and ready to be picked up.
In victim impact statements delivered in court Monday, Wheeler, who was 45 and the youngest of 12 children, was described as a kind, funny, hardworking and generous man.
Reading from her reasons for sentence, Forestell said, “The loss of a loved one is always difficult but when that loss is the result of senseless violence it is even more painful. In addition to the impact on the family and friends of Mr. Wheeler, crimes like this one impact the entire community. A good, hardworking man waiting to go to work was shot and killed in a targeted manner.
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“This type of offence undermines our collective sense of safety and security in our community.”
A psychological report prepared by Dr. Giorgio Ilacqua found that Mitchell, the eldest of four siblings, suffered significant physical abuse as a child. As a result, he was placed in group home and foster care by age 15 because of the physical abuse.
Court heard that Mitchell was raised by his mother because his father was in the criminal justice system and has had no contact with his father for the last five years. He also also been diagnosed with mental illnesses and a substance abuse disorder.
“At around 12 years of age, Mr. Mitchell began to hear voices. He was assessed at one point at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. However, he did not receive any treatment or medication for these conditions until after his arrest on the charge before me. He is presently taking antipsychotic medication and antidepressants,” Forestell said.
Court heard Mitchell has also abused substances since age 11. Mr. Mitchell admitted Ilacqua that he became involved in criminal activity in his teens and that this included selling drugs.
Mr. Mitchell left school after Grade 10.
While attending school he was frequently suspended, including for fighting, stabbing and guns. Since his incarceration, Mr. Mitchell has completed high school and has begun college-level courses. While in custody, Mr. Mitchell has also pursued Bible study.
Ilacqua administered a series of psychological tests. He diagnosed Mitchell with post-traumatic stress Disorder with psychotic features, depression, anxiety and substance use disorder. He relates these conditions to Mr. Mitchell’s dysfunctional childhood and the abuse that he experienced.
The risk assessment conducted by Ilacqua places Mr. Mitchell at high risk for future involvement in the justice system but Ilacqua opines that appropriate monitoring, structure and intervention could likely decrease the risk.
During an interview with Global News outside the courthouse, Wheeler’s niece said the family was anxious for the sentencing to be finished after nearly five years. Arlene Stuckless said she was angry for years and has been through an emotional rollercoaster.
“There are a lot of people who could be watching this right now, going, ‘Oh, this poor family, it’s not going to happen to us’ but you don’t know honestly,” said Stuckless.
Stuckless said she is hopeful that Mitchell can be rehabilitated and wants to see more social services for young men like Mitchell who come from broken homes.
“They’re only outlet is to be running on the streets and then they get hooked up with the wrong people, they get their hands on that gun and they think they’re big tough guys and they’re not,” said Stuckless.
Wheeler’s niece said the family believes a life sentence with a parole ineligibility period of 18 years is a sentence that should give Mitchell time to work on himself.
“For him to be incarcerated that long — hopefully, he doesn’t get involved with the wrong people and go to the wrong path and he takes the time he’s given and he does something good with his life and then when he does getting out of jail, he can help other young, maybe,” Stuckless added.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he won’t be speaking with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz following the targeted shootings of two state officials because it would “waste time.”
One of the lawmakers and her husband were killed in the attacks.
Trump told reporters on Tuesday, while aboard Air Force One after leaving the G7 summit in Alberta early, that he would not be calling Walz because the Minnesota governor is “slick” and “whacked out.”
“I’m not calling him,” he added.
Trump denied claims — which he blamed on French President Emmanuel Macron — that he left because of heightened tensions between Iran and Israel.
“Publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a ‘cease fire’ between Israel and Iran. Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!” he wrote on Truth Social early Tuesday morning.
It is customary for presidents to speak with elected officials to offer support in times of hardship.
“The guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. So, you know, I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?” Trump said of Walz.
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Over the weekend, Ontario Premier Doug Ford sent well wishes to the Minnesota governor, saying, “All of Ontario is thinking of the Hortman family and our friends in Minnesota,” for which Walz expressed his gratitude.
“My thanks to Premier Doug Ford of Ontario, who called to express his condolences to the Hortman family and the people of Minnesota. In times of tragedy, I’m heartened when people of different views and even different nations can rally together around our shared humanity,” he wrote on X on Monday.
Former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot dead in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday.
Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin home, about 15 kilometres away.
Bullet holes mark the front door of the house of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, who were shot earlier in the day, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Champlin, Minn.
Bruce Kluckhohn / The Associated Press
Vance Boelter, 57, is accused of impersonating a police officer while carrying out the attack, which he carefully planned during several surveillance operations.
Boelter surrendered to police on Sunday after he was apprehended in a wooded area near his home following a two-day manhunt.
This booking photo provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office shows Vance Boelter in Green Isle, Minn., on June 16, 2025.
Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via AP
Acting U.S. attorney Joseph Thompson told reporters on Monday that Boelter took meticulous notes on the homes and people he was targeting in the lead-up to the fatal shootings.
Police recovered a list of 70 names from inside the fake police car that was left at the crime scene outside the Hortmans’ home, officials said Sunday.
The writings and list of names included prominent state and federal lawmakers and community leaders, along with abortion rights advocates, and information about health-care facilities, according to the officials.
Walz was the vice-presidential running mate for 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who lost her bid for the presidency to Trump. During the campaign, Walz often branded Trump and other Republican politicians as “just weird.”
— With files from The Associated Press and Global News’ Michelle Butterfield.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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DVP reopens, eastbound Gardiner Expressway closed after alleged carjacking, police pursuit
Toronto Police say the eastbound Gardiner Expressway is still closed on Tuesday morning after an alleged carjacking and police pursuit that saw one suspect jump from the expressway.
However, as of 7:30 a.m., police said the southbound DVP has reopened and the westbound Gardiner Expressway has also reopened.
The closure stems from an armed carjacking that occurred at around 11 p.m. Monday at the Shops at Don Mills, police said. The suspects then fled the scene and were pursued by officers south on the DVP.
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Police said the suspect vehicle stopped and the suspect got out and fled on foot, jumping off the Gardiner Expressway and falling onto Lake Shore Boulevard East below near Parliament Street.
Paramedics told Global News they took one person to hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
Other suspects are believed to have fled in another vehicle, investigators said.
The Special Investigations Unit has been called in to investigate. The SIU is Ontario’s police watchdog and investigates incidents involving police and civilians who are seriously injured.
The southbound DVP and the Gardiner Expressway was closed overnight for several hours for the investigation.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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No impact to Toronto’s green standard under new Ontario law, city staff says – Toronto
A newly released report from city staff says Toronto still has the authority to mandate new buildings meet certain climate and sustainability targets, despite concerns those powers could be undercut by a recent Ontario law.
The report set to go before the city’s executive committee today says there’s “no impact” to the city’s ability to apply its green standard to new development under the recently passed Bill 17, Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act.
Several environmental and industry groups have suggested the law may prevent municipalities from setting standards beyond what’s already required in the provincial building code.
Toronto’s green standard is considered a key plank of the city’s climate plan and is touted as a way to make new buildings more resilient to climate-fuelled extreme weather while cutting back on emissions.
Among other things, it requires new builds to retain stormwater to prevent flooding during extreme rainfall and have enough tree canopy to help stave off extreme heat. It also requires buildings to meet annual emissions targets, pushing developers to consider low-carbon heating options such as heat pumps over natural gas, and install parking spots for bikes and electric vehicles.
A spokesperson for Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack did not directly say whether the bill would impact Toronto’s ability to enforce the standard, but she did say it was adding to building costs and slowing down construction.
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“Our government is focused on what the economics support, setting the same rules for everyone to get shovels in the ground to build more homes faster,” Alexandra Sanita wrote in a statement.
The Atmospheric Fund, a regional agency that supports climate solutions in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, has suggested green development standards may actually help accelerate development timelines by streamlining sustainability-related planning requirements into a single document with clear expectations.
In a letter to the province, it pointed to data that suggested Toronto and Pickering, two municipalities with green standards, have both seen their approval timelines improve in recent years, although they remain above the national average.
Bryan Purcell, a vice-president at The Atmospheric Fund who’s worked closely on green standards, says he was “somewhat surprised” but “very encouraged” by how definitive the city’s position was in the staff report. He says green standards are “so core” to Toronto’s climate objectives that “we can’t really afford to lose it.”
But he said the bill had generated enough confusion to possibly stall efforts by municipalities interested in pursuing their own version of the standard.
“I think the biggest immediate impact is that I expect to see some slowdown in those cities that were on the path of developing their first green standards,” he said in an interview.
The omnibus Bill 17 was rushed through the legislature and passed into law earlier this month before a public comment period closed and without further review by a legislative committee.
Changes made under the new provincial law prevent municipalities from passing bylaws respecting the construction or demolition of buildings. Some law firms and regulatory bodies, including the Ontario Association of Architects, have said that change would appear to make green standards obsolete.
Others have suggested the province may use the bill to limit what types of studies a city can require from a developer before approving a project. Toronto’s green standard, for example, requires a developer to submit an energy modelling report that outlines how the building will keep greenhouse gas emissions in check.
The OAA says green standards should not be lost, adding they help “everyone understand energy consumption in buildings,” and position Ontario to achieve its climate targets.
More than a dozen other Ontario municipalities have used Toronto as a model to come up with their own green standards. While Toronto, Halton Hills and Whitby are among those with mandatory standards, most are voluntary.
The Residential Construction Council of Ontario, a vocal critic of the standard, has suggested it’s adding to housing costs. RESCON sued Toronto over the standard last year in a case still before the courts.
President Richard Lyall called the city staff report set to be discussed Tuesday “delusional and unsubstantiated.”
“We’re going to make our views known to the committee,” he said.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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