Family of 19-year-old killed by Toronto police in Mississauga search for answers: 'Why did Kaleym not make it home?' - Toronto Star

The 19-year-old was shot and killed after five unmarked Toronto police vehicles tailed his car to a quiet Mississauga street, police watchdog says.

Kaleym Davy was shot and killed by Toronto police in Mississauga on Aug. 6. 

Kaleym Davy’s grandmother says she wants answers about the night her 19-year-old grandson was shot dead on a quiet Mississauga cul-de-sac — and, so far, she hasn’t gotten any.

Kaleym died in the early hours of Aug. 6 after five unmarked Toronto police vehicles tailed a white Mercedes sedan to Delfi Road, the province’s police watchdog said. The pursuit stemmed from a firearms investigation that began hours earlier in downtown Toronto.

Marie Yee said her grandson was behind the wheel of the Mercedes, with three passengers in the vehicle, when he parked it near the home of a family member. 

“He was so close to his cousin’s house,” Yee said.

Shortly after midnight, officers tried to stop the car, but the driver of the vehicle attempted to flee and struck one of the officers, according to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which is probing the fatal shooting. A collision between three unmarked police vehicles and the Mercedes then occurred, while an officer standing on the road fired through the driver’s side window, killing Kaleym, the SIU said.

There was no evidence of an “exchange” of gunfire, SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon told reporters later that morning, but noted that two firearms were recovered near the Mercedes.

Police say the investigation started when they received a call for a person with a gun near The Esplanade and Lower Jarvis Street area around 6 p.m. on Aug. 5, before plainclothes officers followed the suspect vehicle west Mississauga.

Following the fatal shooting, police charged the three other people in the Mercedes; a 23-year-old Toronto man, a 19-year-old Mississauga man and a 17-year-old girl, with a slew of gun charges in connection with the incident, including two counts each of possessing a loaded firearm, handling a firearm carelessly and occupying a motor vehicle with a firearm. All three cases are currently still before the courts.  

The SIU originally said the investigation involved a stolen vehicle but later corrected that to say it was related to a gun call. 

Yee and other family members tell the Star they have many lingering questions about Kaleym’s death.

She was at home with Kaleym’s mother in the early hours of Aug. 6 when a relative called to tell them that Kaleym had just been shot by police, she said. 

Around 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 6, Toronto police tried to stop a car in Mississauga as suspects attempted to flee and hit an undercover officer, according to an SIU news release.

”(Kaleym’s mother) was just out of it,” Yee told the Star at the Stouffville, Ont., home she shared with Kaleym and his mother. “She was on the floor crying.”

In a statement shared with the Star, the family said they are “speaking out because we will not allow unanswered questions, a lack of transparency, or the loss of Kaleym’s life to be overlooked. We are seeking accountability, truth, transparency and justice.”

“Kaleym was someone’s son, someone’s brother, someone’s friend, and a young man who was deeply loved,” the note added. “His life mattered.”

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Several members of the family, including Kaleym’s aunt Janelle Davy and a few dozen supporters rallied outside Toronto police headquarters Saturday before marching to Sankofa Square. Many waved placards calling for justice for Kaleym.

“We believe it’s just a great injustice that has happened to Kaleym,” she told the Star. “We want a fair shake in this.”

“He has been villainized and he is the victim here,” she added.

Janelle said she and several other members of the family, including Kaleym’s mother, went to the scene shortly after the shooting to seek answers from police but investigators declined to provide any details to the family.

“I wanted to know what happened to my nephew,” Janelle said. “I wasn’t told anything.”

Janelle said Kaleym had visited her Brampton home a few days before he was killed to get his hair done by his cousin. She never thought it would be the last time she would see him alive.

“I wish I had more time to talk him,” she said. “When he said goodbye, I didn’t know it would be forever.”

The family is also questioning whether the officers, who were in plainclothes and unmarked vehicles, properly identified themselves as they approached the parked vehicle. 

“Why was deadly force used?” the statement questions. “Why did Kaleym not make it home alive?”

SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette told the Star on Tuesday that the investigation is ongoing and that six witness officers have been interviewed. Denette said the lead investigator also spoke with Kaleym’s next of kin a few weeks ago to provide an update as the investigation continues.

Hudon told the Star in August that the SIU is “committed to conducting a thorough, independent and objective investigation,” and that “investigators will seek out and consider all relevant available evidence, including information provided by witnesses and members of the family.”

She said questions about whether the officers identified themselves as police and the use of force by police, will be addressed in the investigation.

Kaleym Davy is pictured in a photo shared by his family. He was shot and killed by Toronto police in Mississauga on Aug. 6.

“We recognize that this is an extremely difficult time for the family and understand their desire for answers,” she said, adding that the SIU will provide information to the family as appropriate throughout the process.

According to Toronto police guidelines, which follow the province’s “use-of-force” model, officers are trained to “continuously monitor and de-escalate situations and use only the amount of force reasonably necessary to bring a situation under control.”  

The family has launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to cover costs such as Kaleym’s funeral and legal expenses. The fundraiser page said Kaleym “was deeply loved by his many siblings, cousins, friends, and everyone who had the opportunity to know him,” and his “death has left a devastating emptiness.”

Yee said her grandson was a sociable person who would often have friends over at his home in Stouffville, so they could enjoy her home-cooking.

In this photo shared by SC Academy, a Vaughan-based basketball training program, Kaleym Davy is pictured practicing on the basketball court during the 2022-2023 season after joining the program as a 15-year-old.

“He was so talented,” she said of her grandson’s ability to play sports, including basketball. 

SC Academy, a Vaughan-based basketball training program, posted to their Instagram page the day after the shooting, stating that they were deeply saddened by Kaleym’s death.

Shamar Coombs, the academy’s founder said he had coached a then-15-year-old Kaleym for about a year. He said Kaleym became one of the key point guards after joining the program in 2022. He said Kaleym showed dedication and would often travel to training from his Stouffville home several times per week.

“Kaleym was one of the main guys on my team,” he said. “His ball handling and his speed was really good.”

“He had natural talent and a lot of potential,” Coombs said.

Jason Miller is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering crime and justice. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on X: @millermotionpic.