Lawsuit filed against community centre where mother of two fatally shot 7 months ago

A class action lawsuit has been filed against the South Riverdale Community Centre roughly seven months after the tragic shooting death of an innocent bystander just meters away from the centre and supervised injection site.

The lawsuit was prompted by residents who grew increasingly concerned after the death of Karolina Huebner-Makurat. The 44-year-old mother of two was walking in the area of Queen Street and Carlaw Avenue around 12:30 p.m. on July 7, 2023, when she was struck by a bullet and killed during a gunfight.

Two people have been arrested and charged in connection to the shooting, including a woman who worked as a health worker at the community centre. A Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for a 19-year-old, however, investigators believe he has fled the country and could be in Somalia.

The plaintiffs listed in the lawsuit filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice include a nearby resident and business. The Leader Spirit spoke with a resident who lives across from the centre who says gun violence has been an ongoing issue in the area.

“It could have been a child that was shot that day,” said Derek Finkle. “We’re talking about drug dealers, some of whom carry guns, some of whom carry knives. These weren’t the first reports of guns and knives and weapons in South Riverdale on the day Karolina was shot, there were other incidents involving weapons in the weeks and months leading up to that.”

In a statement, the community centre says it can’t comment on the matter while it’s before the courts but that it remains focused on public health and safety.

The fatal shooting is just one of the many incidents cited in the lawsuit. Residents in the community say they’ve also experienced public and private nuisances including disorderly conduct and discarded needles along with human waste.

Files from Caryn Ceolin were used in this report