As Toronto teen lay dying, witness says health centre ignored cries for help

Adam Carter · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 12, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Moments aft helium was shot successful Toronto's Weston neighbourhood Saturday night, a teenage lad laic bleeding retired successful beforehand of a section health-care centre — and 1 witnesser says her repeated cries for assistance astatine the facility's beforehand doorway were ignored. 

Now, Dacota Carriere says she is speaking retired to gully attraction some to the deficiency of assistance the teen — identified by police Wednesday evening arsenic Jakhai Jack — received astatine West Park Healthcare Centre, and to articulation different witnesses successful lamenting agelong 911 hold times that nighttime arsenic the beingness slipped from the 15-year-old's body.

"The lad was warring up until his past moments," Carriere told CBC News Wednesday.

"I genuinely judge if archetypal responders had travel instantly erstwhile they were needed, oregon helium got the attraction helium needed close away, I genuinely judge helium would person survived with the magnitude of combat helium had successful him."

Carriere was astatine the health-care centre at 170 Emmett Ave. Saturday nighttime astir 10 p.m. She and immoderate friends, who are car enthusiasts, were taking photos of their vehicles successful the parking batch due to the fact that of its precocious renovated lighting.

The University Health Network-run installation is not a hospital, but alternatively provides specialized rehabilitation attraction aft life-altering unwellness oregon wounded similar amputation, stroke and lung disease, according to the UHN website. A spokesperson told CBC News successful an email the installation doesn't person exigency attraction facilities and during evening hours nurses supply attraction to inpatient units, portion doctors are connected telephone but not routinely connected site.

"Should determination beryllium an exigency connected the property, our archetypal effect would impact the attendance of information unit and/or a telephone to 9-1-1," Ana Fernandes said successful a statement.

WATCH | Neighbour recounts trying to assistance shooting victim:

Carriere said she and her friends were hanging retired successful the parking batch erstwhile they archetypal heard 5 gunshots successful the distance. Shortly after, a young antheral came moving past and said helium had been filming a euphony video down the thoroughfare erstwhile a shooting happened.

He asked for a ride, but the assemblage declined without knowing if the concern was safe, and the antheral ran off, she said. Then, astir 5 minutes later, a grey Nissan abruptly pulled into the parking batch with an injured teen successful the backmost seat. 

Cries for assistance ignored

The operator and 2 different teens got retired and pulled the injured lad onto the ground. The operator said helium didn't cognize the lad and past drove away, Carriere said. A neighbour previously told CBC News that helium had helped get the unfortunate into a conveyance truthful that helium could beryllium driven to a adjacent wellness facility. 

Panic broke out, and Carriere and her friends started pulling microfibre towels retired of their trunks successful an effort to halt the bleeding. While the boy's friends applied unit to his thorax wound, she ran to the beforehand doorway of the wellness centre hoping to find help.

"I understood that it was a health-care centre and not a infirmary who has an exigency section — but still, putting 2 and 2 together, determination has to beryllium nurses there," Carriere said.

"I spot nurses successful the lobby, I spot information guards. I adjacent made oculus interaction with galore of them. And contempt maine intelligibly being successful distress, nary of them — not 1 — came extracurricular to help."

Fernandes, UHN's spokesperson, referred questions astir the concern to Toronto police, citing the ongoing investigation.

"UHN joins the assemblage successful expressing our deepest condolences to the young man's household and loved ones mourning this heartbreaking loss," she said.

Emergency crews arrive

One of Carriere's friends was yet capable to question down a passing constabulary car, and exigency crews arrived soon after, she said.

Toronto constabulary confirmed Wednesday that paramedics transported Jack from the health-care centre to a trauma centre connected Saturday night, wherever helium was aboriginal pronounced dead. No suspect accusation has been released.

Jack was inactive conscious, talking, and trying to basal erstwhile helium was archetypal dropped disconnected astatine the wellness centre, Carriere said. 

"He had honestly a astonishing magnitude of energy," she said. But by the clip Jack was loaded into an ambulance, helium appeared to beryllium unconscious. 

"His eyes were closed and his rima was open. He was nary longer moving, but the constabulary informed america erstwhile they loaded him successful the ambulance that helium was inactive breathing," she said.

City to reappraisal incident

Carriere said that days later, she inactive can't halt reasoning astir the incidental — compounded by the information that she was besides stuck connected clasp with 911 for respective minutes that night. A neighbour previously shared a akin story with CBC News.

"I judge the assistance to this lad was chiefly by bystanders, which saddens me, particularly due to the fact that we are close extracurricular a health-care centre," she said.

In a statement, Toronto constabulary spokesperson Stephanie Sayer told CBC News that the archetypal telephone astir gunshots linked to this incidental came successful astatine 10:01 p.m. Saturday nighttime aft waiting connected clasp for six minutes and 43 seconds. Emergency responders recovered the lad by 10:11 p.m., she said. 

"This was excessively long, and we're not suggesting otherwise. But it's besides important to recognize the broader context," Sayer said, adding that "major incidents" tin origin a surge of 911 calls astir the aforesaid lawsuit and origin "temporary delays" successful the telephone queue.

Toronto police's 911 communications centre is the busiest successful Canada, Sayer said, and constabulary are trying to amended effect times done hiring and modernizing its systems. So acold this year, the mean hold clip to scope an relation is 1 infinitesimal and 2 seconds, according to police.

"We recognize the interest and are committed to ensuring that exigency calls are answered and actioned arsenic rapidly arsenic possible," Sayer said. 

City of Toronto officials person pledged to reappraisal the exigency services response successful the aftermath of the incident.