A stray bullet has killed an 8-year-old boy in Toronto, Canada, while he was sleeping in bed with his mother. On August 16, 2025, Jahvai Roy was lying in bed with his mom in their North York apartment when he was struck, Marcell Wilson, a family friend, told CBC.
“There are no words that can capture the pain of losing a child in such a horrific and senseless way,” Wilson said. “An innocent life has been taken, a family is shattered.”
At 12:27 a.m., officers responded to reports of gunshots near Martha Eaton Way and Trethewey Drive, according to an X post by Toronto Police Operations. Authorities found Roy with a gunshot wound. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.
“What’s happened here is a cowardly, disgusting act of violence,” Det.-Sgt. Jason Davis with the Toronto Police Service said, per Global News.
Additionally, Davis promised “every resource available in the city is being allocated to this right now.”
He continued, “The saddest part of this is this young boy was in bed, at home, when this happened. He was in his home, the safest place that you can be with your family in bed when he was struck by a stray bullet,” Global News reported.
Two other units in the apartment building also were struck by gunfire, Davis noted. However, there are no suspects or vehicle descriptions thus far.
“We are working very hard to find those people responsible and hold them accountable,” he said.
Reportedly, a group of people was observed standing at a playground near the building at the time of the shooting.
“When our children are not safe … in their own beds, we must acknowledge that we have failed them,” Wilson said, per CBC. “This young boy should have had his whole life ahead of him. We owe it to him and we owe it to every child to do better.”
