Trial begins in deadly 2020 shooting of beloved YMCA instructor

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Shane Stanford was a popular fitness instructor at the central Toronto YMCA who had just dropped off a co-worker and was heading home on Oct. 7, 2020.

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He would never make it.

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“In the late hours of Oct. 7, 2020, Shane Stanford was found dead in his vehicle at the intersection of Regina Ave. and Khedive Ave. in North York,” Crown attorney Kristy Wong said in her opening address to the jury.

“He was killed by a gunshot wound to the head.”

Seated at the lawyers’ table in a dark suit and turtleneck was Raheem McLaughlin, 32, who has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and is representing himself with the help of court-appointed amicus, or friend of the court, Douglas Holt.

Prosecutors allege McLaughlin was in a white vehicle seen on security video driving towards the corner of Flemington Rd. and Zachary Ct. that night – the same intersection Stanford, 33, also passed.

“This trial will ultimately be about what then took place starting at that intersection of Flemington Rd. and Zachary Ct. shortly before 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 7, 2020,” the prosecutor said.

Stanford’s Acura was sprayed with gunfire

A few minutes and a few blocks later, Stanford’s Acura was sprayed with gunfire that shattered the rear window, with one of the bullets striking him in the back of the head. The car then climbed the curb and crashed on to the lawn of 21 Regina Ave.

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In response to many 911 calls, court heard police found the promising young man slumped against his steering wheel with vital signs absent.

The Crown told the jury they will hear from Sierra Michael, who describes herself as McLaughlin’s ex-girlfriend, who is expected to tell them that in the early morning hours of Oct. 8, he came to her apartment building and gave her a handgun with a missing magazine.

Toronto Police Det. Const. Robert Armstrong, of the Forensic Identification Services, was tasked with taking photos of the crime scene.

The jury was shown pictures of three spent cartridge casings located on the pavement as well as a high-capacity, 15-round Glock magazine that still held seven of its .40 calibre bullets.

Then Armstrong explained the photos he took of Stanford’s car: most disturbing was the front driver’s seat and console that were covered with blood. The glass from the rear windshield was virtually gone and there were bullet holes through the driver’s headrest and another had damaged the dashboard.

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“Were any weapons located in the vehicle?” asked Wong.

“No,” the officer replied.

In his backpack behind the passenger seat, Armstrong found Stanford’s YMCA name tag, lottery tickets, a face mask, empty food containers, a book, spiral notebook and a paper with translated words.

No clues to an alleged motive for senseless violence

A life that ended too soon.

All these years later, the opening of the Crown’s case offers no clues to an alleged motive for killing someone who seemed so far removed from this kind of senseless violence.

His murder shocked his YMCA family, who set up a bursary in his honour.

“He was a beloved member of our Health and Fitness team at the Central YMCA. If you ask his co-workers about him, they’ll tell you about Shane’s warm, friendly personality; the strong relationships he built with everyone around him, including Y staff, volunteers, and members; his drive to learn more and advance his career, how he always wanted to contribute to the team and pitch in to help whenever he could; and his passion for helping others through fundraising and championing the Y’s charitable activities,” CEO Lesley Davidson wrote on a GoFundMe page shortly after the murder.

“It is absolutely devastating that his life was cut short.”

His accused killer is scheduled to cross-examine his first witness next week.

mmandel@postmedia.com

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