Jenas Nyarko of Toronto was killed in a driveby shooting on June 24, 2018 near Yorkdale

A woman returning from a funeral was killed early Sunday in the back seat of a car by a gunman who came from another neighbourhood and shot at the “first residents” he saw, according to police.

Jenas Nyarko, 31, of Toronto, was murdered in the drive-by shooting on Replin Rd. — in the Allen Rd.-Lawrence Ave. area — just before 2 a.m.

“This is a horrific crime because that could have been anybody,” Police Chief Mark Saunders said at a Sunday press conference of Nyarko’s slaying, the city’s 47th of the year.


However, Saunders insisted that while Toronto now has an average of five more shooting incidents each month compared to last year, the city is still safe.

Det. David Dickinson said there’s nothing in the past of Nyarko — or the other three people in the car with her — that would indicate her murder was the result of a targeted shooting.

“It would appear this is a case of individuals coming from one neighbourhood in the city to another and shooting the first residents that they see,” he added.

Detectives are looking for a silver 2010-2016 Cadillac SRX SUV that has a sunroof.

Nyarko was returning from a funeral with three friends when she was shot. She moved to Canada from Ghana in 2001 and had been working in a shelter.

Saunders added that Nyarko’s murder was indicative of a “street gang subculture” that has become an ongoing issue for officers.

Police released video that shows a circling SUV passing a vehicle. Investigators said a passenger in the SUV fired one shot. Several other shots were fired as the vehicle drove away.

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