Mike Baker

Yes, in the world of investigations, those would be considered clues.

Investigators say some of the criminal networks appeared to be sharing firearms, an important detail that helped detectives connect incidents that initially looked unrelated.

Police say at least two of those weapons originated in the U.S.

before making their way into Canada.

Now, ballistics testing remains ongoing, but authorities say the evidence points to a coordinated network rather than a collection of isolated actors.

And as investigators pulled on those threads, they uncovered another troubling detail.

According to Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkew, the networks appear to recruit young adults through encrypted messaging platforms before paying them to carry out attacks.

To receive payment, investigators say that recruits are required to film the shootings as proof.

Demkew said at a press conference, quote, Who's paying for this?

This is what we're trying to determine.

In many cases, investigators suspect the shooters themselves may not know.

Instead, authorities believe some of these young recruits are functioning as disposable contractors inside a criminal network, carrying out assignments for people they may never meet.

The targets, meanwhile, don't appear to be random.

Gunfire and arson attacks have repeatedly struck synagogues and other Jewish institutions in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada over the past several months.

While those attacks have not resulted in fatalities, investigators say the pattern suggests an effort to intimidate and spread fear.

Toronto police are now working alongside the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the FBI to identify the individuals financing and directing the attacks, and the investigation now has turned deadly.

Last week, a Toronto police constable was killed during a raid connected to the case.

Authorities say the shooter, 19-year-old Nicholas Bennett, was also shot during the operation and remains hospitalized.

He's expected to face a first-degree murder charge.

One of the most high-profile incidents tied to this investigation was the March shooting at the U.S.