Some local residents in Toronto's Leslieville neighbourhood are raising concerns regarding a safe injection site near the same intersection where a daylight shooting took place last week. 

On Friday, just before 12:30 p.m., Karolina Huebner-Makurat, 44, was walking near the intersection of Queen Street East and Carlaw Avenue to pick up some lunch. 

The mother of two was struck by a stray bullet during an altercation in the area and was transported to a nearby trauma centre, where she was pronounced dead. 

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up on behalf of the victim's family, which has raised over $180,000 out of its $200,000 goal at the time of writing. 

New details emerge about mother killed in daylight shooting in Toronto https://t.co/GfLYaaW0lM #Toronto #Shooting

— blogTO (@blogTO) July 10, 2023

The brazen shooting has led to lots of heated community discussions about the location of the safe injection site at 955 Queen St. E., as well as its close proximity to a local school and daycare. 

One post made to a community Facebook group on Friday night — which raises concerns about the safe injection site — has garnered nearly 500 likes and over 200 comments. 

"There is a safe injection site across the street that causes many problems throughout the days. The woman in her 40s with two small children was shot in the crossfire of gun violence at the corner in midday in our neighbourhood. This could have easily been any one of us," the original poster wrote. 

Many respondents seemed to agree with this sentiment and stressed that the site needs increased security and staff monitoring. 

"Believe whatever you want about the site, whether you're for or against places like this, I think we can all agree it has no business being in such a high-traffic area within spitting distance of an elementary school and a daycare," one person said. 

"I support safe injection sites, and I do not view the people who use them as bad people. We all have our troubles. But either the safe injection site needs to supervise and take responsibility for concerning behaviour that happens outside their centre, or the safe injection site needs to be moved away from this high-traffic pedestrian area that is close to residences and schools. Perhaps both," another comment reads. 

"Historically, most residents have never had an objection to the site and support any mandate offering resources to vulnerable members of the community," one person wrote. "With that said, over the past one to two years, the centre has completely lost control of the activities surrounding the facility. They have allowed a small zone of outdoor drug use, dealing, overdosing and conflict to fester in open view all around their building." 

However, others fiercely opposed the idea that the shooting may have resulted from an altercation at the injection site. 

"The safe injection site has been open for nearly six years. There is nothing to attribute this event to it," a resident noted. 

"Injection sites do save lives. This one has been open for years. That does not take away from the horrific encounter today. But let's not quickly shift blame to a place that has also potentially saved lives. This city needs to shift focus to better outreach care," another person chimed in. 

"We don't know that this was a result of those that frequent the safe injection site. Please don't create any more fear than is necessary and don't paint everyone of lesser means with the same brush. It's not fair," one comment reads. 

While Toronto police have not officially determined where exactly the altercation first began, they have released images of all three suspects wanted in connection with the daylight shooting. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5500, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.​​​​​​