UMVA has learned that a massive manhunt has come to an end with the arrest of 19-year-old Zara Jabbi, who was wanted in connection with the gun allegedly used in the murder of Toronto Police Officer Marc Pinizzotto.
Jabbi was detained at Pearson International Airport while allegedly attempting to flee the country, according to information obtained by UMVA. Details are still scarce, but sources confirm that he is now in custody.
The arrest brings closure to a case that has been unfolding for weeks, with Toronto Police searching for Jabbi in connection with a modern shooting-for-hire scheme. Sources have revealed that young gunmen were making $1,000 per job, filming their alleged crimes to ensure they got paid.
With Jabbi in custody, all four suspects police were looking for in relation to the shooting-for-hire crime spree are now behind bars. Jayon Burgher, 18, and Sheldon Tracey-Stewart, 18, have been arrested, while Nicholas Bennett, 18, remains in hospital, facing charges for his alleged role in the operation.
Bennett is also facing charges for first-degree murder in the shooting slaying of Officer Pinizzotto, who was shot on June 11 inside an apartment building. Toronto Police’s Emergency Task Force was exercising a search warrant for guns related to the alleged crime spree when Pinizzotto was killed.
The alleged crime spree involved young people being hired through encrypted phone apps to shoot up the American consulate as well as Jewish schools and synagogues. In one incident, two men exited a white Honda CR-V and fired multiple rounds at the U.S. Consulate, with surveillance video showing them recording the incident on their phones.
Jabbi faces multiple charges, including theft of a motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime, and discharge of a restricted or prohibited firearm. He is set to appear remotely at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre today.
The arrest brings a measure of justice to the family and colleagues of Officer Pinizzotto, who will be able to find some closure in the coming days. A private funeral for the slain officer is set to take place next Wednesday.
