Islington & Steeles shooting prompts Mammoliti to call on feds for army help

A Toronto councillor says the federal government should send in the military to help defuse violent crimes in the city.

Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti made the suggestion following a fatal shooting Tuesday night near Islington Avenue south of Steeles Avenue West.

Police say approximately four to five shots were fired at around 5 p.m. near Whitfield Avenue and Larchmere Avenue.

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Paramedics said the man was found on the ground with gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the scene.

No details are available on a suspect yet but police say a black car was seen leaving the area.

Mammoliti, who represents the ward where the shooting happened, said he suspects the shooting is connected to a spate of violence the city has seen in recent days.

"ISIS isn't the only thing we have to worry about"

He called the shooters "terrorists" and said they need to be treated as such.

"ISIS isn't the only thing we have to worry about in terms of terrorism. We have our own and they're called drug dealers," he said from the scene. 

Mammoliti also called on the military to step in and help police address what he called a "turf war."

"We have a well-established federal reserve - an army perhaps - that can come in and help police," Mammoliti said. 

"They have more tools than a police department has to be able to track people down and treat them as the terrorists that they are."

Police are asking anyone with information to contact them at (416) 808-3100.