Toronto

An argument that left 35-year-old Quincy Ramirez dead at a Toronto barbecue Sunday evening stemmed from a small claims dispute that was resolved over three years ago, police say. Ramirez was shot and killed with a Second World War-era gun just before 8 p.m. on Sunday at a backyard party in a low-rise apartment building on Ossington Ave. CPR was performed on the victim by attendees of the party. Ramirez was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Edwin Parkinson, 67, is charged with first-degree murder. Parkinson had done some work for the Ramirez’s family that didn’t end satisfactorily for either party, which led to a small claims court settlement against Ramirez close to three years ago, explained Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux. “But not for the full amount and as a result he was annoyed, and that annoyance had continued for a number of years,” Giroux said. RelatedMan shot dead with WWII rifle in dispute at west-end Toronto barbecue: police The victim, who lived in Scarborough, was attending a BBQ at the building where the suspect lived. It is alleged that the suspect went into his apartment, grabbed a rifle, and shot Ramirez twice in the chest. The rifle is a Second World War-era bolt-action .303 calibre, that Parkinson had owned since he was young, Giroux said. “He indicated that he had had it for the majority of his adult life. So it’s something that he had obtained when he was a very young man. It may have had a hunting purpose, so we’ll have to research whether it’s even registered or even needs to be registered, I’m not even sure,” Giroux said. Maria Arrada, who lives across the street from where the shooting took place, said she came outside after her father, Ed, said he heard shots. She said she saw police take away a “scruffy looking guy” in handcuffs and later bring out a rifle. The suspect had reportedly lived in the building for a number of years. National Post

Montreal Canadiens defenceman Alexei Emelin had surgery Tuesday to reconstruct the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee.

Toronto Police have charged three male teenagers with torching a Scarborough playground earlier this month. Following the May 6 fire, only a charred shell remained of the kindergarten play structure at Mary Shadd Public School, which neighbours had spent five years raising $20,000 to erect. Toronto Detective Nick Ashley said neighbours around the public school flooded his office with tips that eventually led to the arrest of the three individuals on Sunday. “We had a lot of witnesses come forward,” he said. “We started interviewing people and our interviews started leading to another person, then another person.” Some kind of fuel source was used to ignite the cedar chips that surrounded the steel and plastic structure, police said. “The actual structure itself was supposed to be fire resistant, but [the fire] was just so intense,” Det. Ashley said. “It melted the entire structure.” RelatedDonors step up to help rebuild torched kindergarten playground in Scarborough Insurance did not cover the damage to the playground, which had only been standing for about a year. Two days after the fire, local businesses and neighbours had already raised enough money to rebuild the playground. Police were not releasing the names of the two men and one boy, who are 19, 18 and 17, even though two of the accused are adults. Each of them is charged with one count of arson. Det. Ashley said releasing any of the names would risk identifying the 17-year-old young offender, since all three are known in the community to be “connected” to one another. The detective wouldn’t say how the three are connected.  The 17-year-old’s identity is protected under the Young Offenders Act. The three accused are currently on bail, with a court hearing set for late next month. National Post

Alex Tagliani will start the 97th edition of the Indianapolis 500 from middle of the fourth row, a long way from the pole position he earned just two seasons ago.

He was once touted as a future contender for chief of police. Instead, this disgraced senior officer deserves his marching orders.

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“Star Trek Into Darkness” co-writer Damon Lindelof has kind of, sort of apologized for anyone offended by the gratuitous display of Alice Eve’s nearly-naked body in movie theaters (and the movie’s marketing) around the world.

(Editor’s Note: After being institutionalized following last week’s Leafs meltdown, I have been granted a day pass, allowing me to write this column). Shock. Anger. Disbelief. Those were the emotions felt by a team, an entire city, and its legion of fans following the Toronto Maple Leafs’ stunning collapse at the hands of the Boston [...]

A Bowmanville landscaper — previously snared in what at the time was the largest seizure of child pornography in Canadian history — was sentenced to six years in prison Tuesday after being caught with further a cache of almost 100,000 disgusting images.

When Jonathan Toews has personal success, team success is often sure to follow.