One young male is dead and another minor is in custody after police responded to a home in south-end Barrie this morning for what neighbours believe was a teen-on-teen homicide at a house where residents had concerns about a lack of adult supervision.
Barrie police have confirmed to BarrieToday that both the victim and the person in custody are under the age of 18, but no other details about their relationship have been released.
No charges had been laid as of 2:30 p.m.
Officers responded at 5:49 a.m. today to Penvill Trail, a single detached home located near Ardagh Road and County Road 27. They found a male suffering from life-threatening injuries. He was rushed to local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police remained on scene this afternoon awaiting a search warrant.
The driveway at the Penvill Trail home appeared not to have been shovelled in a while and there were mostly only footprints in the snow and an absence of tire tracks.
Neighbour Amie McGibbon said she believed the house was being used as a group or foster home since about mid-December and there were "three or four people" living there.
"We're not too sure what goes on over there. It's kind of a weird house for the neighbourhood," McGibbon told BarrieToday. "What we heard is that it was a group home, but we've never seen any adult supervision over there whatsoever."
McGibbon said someone was arrested a few nights ago.
"I guess they took one of the kids out of the house and arrested him," she said. "And he came back yesterday and then this happened."
At the scene, Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon said the person in custody was arrested on nearby McIntyre Drive soon after the initial call.
"The individual that is currently in Barrie police custody did leave the residence here on Penvill Trail and was located one street over upon arrival of Barrie police," he said.
The investigation is considered isolated and there's no threat to public safety, said Leon, but people in the neighbourhood can expect a police presence in the area for the next few days.
Emergency crews responded to a call for medical service for "a very serious, life-threatening injury," said Leon.
"The injury was threatening enough that an emergency run was carried out from this location to a local hospital with assistance from the Ontario Provincial Police as well," Leon said of the highway escort for the ambulance while an advanced-care paramedic crew attended to the young male while en route.
Police say the identity of the deceased will not be released until the conclusion of a forensic post-mortem examination, which is scheduled to take place at the Office of the Chief Coroner and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service in Toronto.
McGibbon said she has seen police activity at the home recently.
"We saw the lights two nights ago. Nosy neighbours, we peeked outside and it was one of the younger kids getting arrested," she said. "When I was driving later to pick up my husband, I saw the kid walking back, so I guess he had gotten out from the police station. And this happened at six this morning. ... I believe it involves the two people living in the house."
As police remained on scene Tuesday afternoon awaiting a search warrant, the front door of the home remained ajar as well as a second-storey window.
Investigators were also at another location on nearby McIntyre Drive where the other person was arrested.
"It's a secondary scene. There may be some follow-up investigation," Leon said.
McGibbon said activity at the Penvill Trail home was typical for a residence with teens.
"There was a little bit of partying, but like I said, never with adult supervision," she said. "It's kind of a weird house. You don't see them out shovelling the driveway. One of the kids was out there cursing and swearing one night trying to shovel the driveway. I guess he was not getting it done, right.
"If it's a foster home or with foster kids... it's so sad," McGibbon added. "Regardless of what happened in your life, that doesn't need to happen."
The Penvill Trail home has recently been listed for sale online, but had been removed as recently as Jan. 11.
Another neighbour, who didn't want to provide her name to BarrieToday, said she has seen young people regularly coming and going from the home. She believed they had moved into the home sometime after Christmas.
"I've only seen the two young gentlemen. One looked maybe 15, 16 years old, and the other one maybe two or three years older than him," she said. "I've never seen a vehicle."
The woman, who said she's also new to the neighbourhood, said there was an obvious level of concern.
"It's just the well-being of the children. Who was there? Where was the parent, in a sense? I've never seen a parent," she said. "I've only seen the two young gentlemen regularly. In the morning, like any regular high-school student I see leaving for school. The one boy leaves with a backpack, so I just assume he's off to school, too."
McGibbon said there were often young people coming and going from the home.
"There's been, like, shenanigans, with kids yelling and cars being broken into and stuff," she said. "We always thought it was them because they'd be walking up the street at night and stuff. But never anything bad like this."
McGibbon said the incident is out of character for the area.
"It's a nice neighbourhood, so it's very upsetting that something like that could happen so close," she said. "It's a very close-knit neighbourhood; everyone talks to everyone when you walk by. Very friendly, people bring Christmas cards by."
