Accused in drive-by shooting death of Scarborough mother of four was former high school basketball star

A former Toronto high school basketball star who went on to play U.S. college hoops is one of two men accused of  first-degree murder after a drive-by shooting left a Scarborough mother of four dead on Saturday night.

Alwayne Bigby, 23 — a product of basketball powerhouse Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute who played with the NCAA’s Northeastern University Huskies — and Michael Davani, 21, were charged with first-degree murder Sunday and will appear in courtMonday.

Andrea White, 33, was inside her garage when shots were fired into the building at around 11 p.m. on Saturday.

The mother, injured in the shooting, was helped into her home on Forest Creek Parkway, near Old Finch and Morningside, where she died shortly thereafter. A white Land Rover SUV was seen driving past Ms. White’s home before taking a U-turn back towards the house before neighbours heard gunshots.

Investigators said they believe the home was targeted, but would not elaborate further.

Tyler Anderson / National Post

After the shooting, patrol officers on Highway 401 spotted the SUV, but the driver reportedly refused to stop. When two men abandoned the vehicle after a short pursuit, police were able to catch one of the suspects on foot. The other man turned himself in to police hours later.

A discarded gun was found in the area where officers first tried to stop the SUV.

After an impressive high school basketball career in Toronto, Mr. Bigby went to Northeastern in Boston, earning regular playing time and a degree in criminal justice before transferring to the University of Rhode Island to play out the remainder of his eligibility. In Rhode Island, he was working for a Masters degree in Education, the Canadian basketball blog North Pole Hoops reported.

According to his player profile on ESPN, his last season was in 2012-13 where he played an average of  nine minutes a game, far less than what he regularly received in his last year at Northeastern.

In the campus newspaper at Northeastern, the Huntington News, Mr. Bigby was referred to as a "shut-down defender," with coach Bill Coen lauding his "passion and intensity."

On the player's Instagram page, he is pictured sitting atop a white Land Rover SUV.

"You have to stay down to come up," read the caption beside the photo.