A 46-year-old Nigerian man, Osemwengie Irorere, was shot dead at a Bus Terminal in Toronto on January 4, 2026.
The Police have arrested a suspect who is now facing a first-degree murder charge. pic.twitter.com/kEjI3PUr3F
— Linda Ikeji Blog (@lindaikeji) January 8, 2026
TORONTO, ON – The Toronto Police Service has charged a 40-year-old man with first-degree murder following a fatal shooting on a public transit bus this past Sunday, an incident that has claimed the life of a Nigerian national and marked the city’s first homicide of 2026.
The victim has been identified as 46-year-old Osemwengie Irorere of Nigeria.
According to police, the incident occurred at approximately 7:00 p.m. on January 4, 2026, at the Yorkdale GO Bus Terminal located in the Yorkdale Road and Allen Road area.
“It is alleged that the victim and the suspect both boarded a GO bus at the terminal, where the suspect shot the victim before fleeing the area on foot,” the Toronto Police Service stated in a Wednesday news release. “Officers arrived at the scene and located the male victim suffering from a gunshot wound. Life-saving measures were performed, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Investigators report that the suspect, identified as Tyrel Gibson of Toronto, was located and arrested a short time later. A firearm was recovered at the time of his arrest.
“The suspect was located and arrested by officers a short time later, and a firearm was recovered,” police confirmed.
Gibson was formally charged with first-degree murder. He appeared for a bail hearing at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre on Monday, January 5.
A review of court documents by CTV News Toronto reveals that the accused has a lengthy criminal history spanning nearly two decades. Previous charges include two counts of attempted murder from 2013, to which he ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser offence. In 2015, Gibson pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and multiple firearm-related charges, including possession of an unauthorized firearm, resulting in a lifetime prohibition on owning weapons.
The violent and very public nature of the crime has sent shockwaves through the local Nigerian community and raised immediate questions about public safety and judicial accountability. Community leaders are expressing profound grief over the loss of a compatriot and deep concern over the alleged perpetrator’s ability to possess a firearm despite the existing lifetime ban.