An Edmonton teenager is at the centre of a nationwide manhunt after police linked him to two separate killings in the Greater Toronto Area murders that investigators say have left two families without answers and a city on edge.
Isaiah Thomas Badger, 19, faces two counts of first-degree murder. As of this writing, he has not been arrested.
Two Shootings, Weeks Apart
Sergio Lopes, 65, was killed on January 26 outside his own business at a commercial plaza near Winges and Rowntree Dairy roads in Vaughan. Less than two weeks later, Chandan Kumar Raja Nandakumar, 37, was shot dead in the parking lot of Woodbine Mall in Toronto's east end on February 7.
Both men were going about their day in the middle of the afternoon. Neither had ties to criminal activity, police confirmed. Neither knew what was coming.
Investigators from Toronto Police and York Regional Police eventually compared notes and realized the two cases had something in common the same suspect.
"Our connection to both homicides seems to only be that we share the same suspect," Toronto Police Det. Sgt. Sandra Arruda told reporters.
Burned Cars and a Vanishing Act
After the Woodbine Mall shooting, police say Badger drove a stolen car to the Claireville Conservation Area in Brampton and torched it. Someone then picked him up police don't know who. A similar pattern played out after the Vaughan killing, where the getaway vehicle was also found on fire.
Jacob Wallace, 19, of Mississauga, is wanted in connection with the Vaughan shooting specifically. Police allege he drove the vehicle used to flee the arson site. Wallace had no prior criminal history. He also remains free.
Before All This, He Was Making Music
Before his name became attached to a national murder investigation, Badger was known in Edmonton's local rap scene. He released music on YouTube under the name Mr Gogetit, building a small following in the city. He was 19 years old, putting out tracks, and largely unknown outside of Edmonton until now.
The Search Continues
Badger was already wanted by Edmonton police on weapons charges before the Ontario killings. He is described as 6'3" and roughly 117 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Police believe both he and Wallace are still somewhere in the Greater Toronto Area.
Arruda was blunt at Tuesday's press conference: "We're coming for you. Turn yourselves in. Hire a lawyer. If you are helping them evade police, you are committing a criminal offence."
Anyone with information is asked to contact Toronto Police at 416-808-7400, York Regional Police Homicide at 1-866-876-5423, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
