TORONTO — Dozens of people gathered Friday at Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square, demanding politicians take gun violence more seriously after an eight-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet while in bed last weekend.
JahVai Roy, who has been described by friends and family as a compassionate and kind child, was killed in his North York bed just after midnight on Saturday. Police have not released any suspect information or made arrests in the case.
Rally organizers burned sage, said prayers and shared stories to honour the boy's legacy, one day after a vigil was held outside the apartment building where he died.
Attendees gathered in front of the water fountain facing Toronto City Hall, holding colourful signs with pleas to end gun violence and images of the young boy. Throughout the rally, people passed around flags dotted with signatures of support and chanted the boy's name in unison.
"We just want to keep JahVai's name in people's mouths and we want to be able to sit down and deliberate and see what exactly we want to push forward in his honour," said Cynthia Bell, executive director of ENAGB Indigenous Youth Agency and one of the event organizers.
Bell said the boy's mother, Holly Roy, has been appreciative of the support from community members and others who have shown up to the vigil and rally.
"It's very unfortunate that we had to go through this to wake us up," said Bell. "It doesn't matter what race we are, we should be coming together and supporting each other and saying, 'Okay, what are the steps we need to do to enforce our city?'"
A petition was also launched calling on all levels of government to make changes in the way they deal with gun violence and to hold Canadians accountable, said Briar Perrier, Toronto director of ENAGB.
"We do not want JahVai's death to be for nothing," Perrier said.
Perrier added that her organization is holding politicians accountable, especially Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who has attended events honouring JahVai.
"Being a mayor, you are one of Toronto's strongest leaders and we need that support," Perrier said.
Chow also spoke at Friday's rally, stressing the need to prevent guns from entering the country across the border.
"Why are these illegal guns coming from the States?" Chow asked in her speech. "My God, stop them."
A funeral for JahVai was held Wednesday on Wikwemikong First Nation on Manitoulin Island. More than $79,000 has been raised through GoFundMe to help the family with funeral expenses, relocation costs and trauma counselling.
Bell, the executive director of ENAGB, said her organization will be coming together to deliberate solutions they want to see — from stricter bail laws to reform of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
"When violence happens, everybody says it starts from home, that's why they're violent," Bell said. "But this young boy was shot in his bed at home. No violence started in the home."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 22, 2025,
Vanessa Tiberio, The Canadian Press
