Men charged with murder in double-shooting homicide at Keswick, Ont. park

Two men are facing first-degree murder charges in a double shooting homicide in a park in Keswick, Ont. on Wednesday morning.

York Regional Police (YRP) officers were notified about the sound of gunshots at around 7:28 a.m. near Bayview Park in the Bayview and Lowndes Avenues area.

Once on scene, they located two adults with gunshot wounds in the park. Both male victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

The two men were identified as 21-year-old Reilly MacDonald and 39-year-old Mark Sutcliffe, both of Keswick.

On Thursday, investigators said 19-year-old John McKay and 21-year-old Ethan Pashak-McNeil, both of Barrie, Ont., were arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

YRP said the relationship between the two accused and the victims has not yet been confirmed, but they are believed to be known to each other.

Const. Kevin Nebrija called it an “isolated” incident and said there was no further threat to the public. There are no additional suspects.

Nearby residents describe frightening scene on Wednesday

Residents who live near the park told CityNews they woke up to find the usually quiet area teeming with first responders.

“I looked out my window, and my street was full of police and paramedics. My mom was up; she heard the shots and woke me up,” said Olivia Poste.

“I’ve lived here my whole life … there’s never been anything that’s happened like this before,” she added. “It’s very scary because it’s close to home.”

Another resident said she heard two rounds of shots.

“As I was coming down the stairs to make my kids breakfast, I heard a bunch of gunshots, probably around a dozen,” said Tiina, who lives 30 to 40 feet from the park. “There were a few shots, then a pause, and then a few more shots.”