Family, friends, and community members gathered Wednesday on Manitoulin Island to say a final farewell to eight-year-old JahVai Roy, who was fatally struck by a stray bullet while lying in bed with his mother at their North York apartment last weekend.
The traditional funeral ceremony was held at the Rabbit Island Community Centre on the Wikwemikong Unceded Territory, where JahVai’s mother, Holly Roy, is from. Mourners filled the centre and spilled outside, many dressed in colourful ribbon skirts — a traditional symbol of honour and grief at Indigenous funerals. The service included drumming, sage burning, and a feast before a long procession of vehicles, joined by emergency service members and Indigenous organizations, escorted JahVai to his final resting place in a nearby cemetery.
The boy was shot just after midnight on August 16 when gunfire erupted outside his family’s building on Martha Eaton Way near Trethewey Drive. Toronto police say suspects fled the area and remain at large. The lack of arrests weighed heavily on mourners, who not only grieved but also called for justice and an end to gun violence. “Gun violence needs to stop,” one woman said. “I’m calling out all politicians — what are they going to do?”
JahVai is remembered in his obituary as a joyful, humble, and funny child who was deeply loved by his parents, Holly Roy and James Beckles, his siblings, grandparents, extended family, and cousins. “JahVai will stay forever 8 in the memories and hearts of many,” the tribute read.
Community support has poured in since the tragedy, with a crowdfunding campaign raising more than $70,000 to assist the family with funeral costs. A candlelight vigil will be held Thursday evening outside JahVai’s North York home, and a rally against gun violence is planned for Friday morning at Toronto City Hall. Local leaders, including Toronto’s police chief, are expected to attend both events.
The young boy’s death has shaken both Toronto and the Wikwemikong community, leaving many to grieve the loss of a child whose life was cut short by senseless violence. “Today is the day we say, ‘See you later,’” one mourner said, “but six months from now is when his mother will need us most.