Toronto’s 2005 Boxing Day gunman faces first-degree murder charge in Montreal

By Canadian Press on July 17, 2025.

MONTREAL — A man convicted in Toronto’s fatal 2005 Boxing Day shootout has been charged with murder in Montreal.

Jeremiah Valentine, 43, faces one count of first-degree murder in the killing this week of Abdeck Kenedith Ibrahim, 33, who was gunned down in a downtown Montreal square.

Valentine was among those convicted in the 2005 shootout in downtown Toronto between rival gangs that killed 15-year-old Jane Creba and injured six others.

In 2009, Valentine pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was given a life sentence with no chance of parole for 12 years for a crime that became a flashpoint for the city’s anger over a rise in gun-related killings.

The shootout occurred on Yonge Street, what is traditionally Toronto’s busiest strip for Boxing Day bargain hunters.

The Crown says the Montreal shooting case was put off until Oct. 23, following a brief hearing at the city’s courthouse.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025.

The Canadian Press