TORONTO — A candlelight vigil will be held this evening for an eight-year-old Toronto boy killed by a stray bullet while he was in bed with his family last weekend.
JahVai Roy, who has been described by friends and family as a curious boy and a fearless anti-bullying advocate, was killed in his North York home early Saturday morning.
Toronto police said a stray bullet from a shooting outside entered the residence at around 12:30 a.m. Bullets also entered two other units, but no one else was injured.
The vigil is set to take place at 5 p.m. near the apartment building where JahVai died, with several city officials, police inspectors and hundreds of community members expected to attend.
A social media post promoting the vigil also asks attendees to wear blue, described as JahVai's favourite colour.
The boy was laid to rest yesterday at a funeral held on Wikwemikong First Nation on Manitoulin Island.
Marcell Wilson, a friend of the family, described JahVai as a "genuinely good, happy, compassionate, kind, curious child," who always made sure to look after his mom and his two siblings.
"He was the type of boy that wanted to climb a tree, or if there was a bird or something, he'd want to pick it up and touch it," Wilson said in an interview Tuesday. "He was fearless."
A GoFundMe page launched in response to the boy's death has also raised almost $75,000 to help the family with funeral expenses, relocation costs and trauma counselling.
Coun. Frances Nunziata, who represents the neighbourhood where JahVai was killed, said she has been in touch with the family several times, and will be at the vigil alongside Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.
"It's just crazy what's happening," Nunziata said earlier this week. "We're not even safe in our own homes."
Community advocates have said they hope the deadly shooting acts as a wake-up call to spark community and government action against gun violence.
"We don't want to see another JahVai Roy, ever. So let this be the last. And the only way this can be the last is that we all work together," Wilson said.
A rally against gun violence is also expected to take place tomorrow in front of Toronto City Hall.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2025.
The Canadian Press
