A recent spike in gun violence in Toronto is cause for concern, but not "out of control," one expert says.

Public safety analyst Chris Lewis told CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday that, despite the number of shootings in January, the statistics concerning gun crime haven't changed much in recent years.

There have been 38 shootings in the city so far in 2016, with eight fatalities. By this time last year, there had only been 23 shootings and two deaths.

"Is it the new norm, or is it just a spike? It's going to take some time for that to settle out," Lewis said.

"If this continues for months, then maybe this is a bigger issue."

His comments came a day after a bullet flew through a child's bedroom at a Toronto Community Housing building. Just half an hour before that shooting, another was reported in the city's west end. In both cases no one was injured.

"You can understand the concern," Lewis said, adding that many of the shootings were in public areas. He also said that some of the victims were not believed to be involved in criminal activity, adding to public concern.

Toronto police spoke Tuesday, about gun crime, during a news conference about a deadly shooting in Chinatown early Sunday morning, that left two dead and three injured. Police said the men who died in the shooting are not believed to have any ties to criminal organizations.

The day before the Chinatown shooting, police announced they would canvass the city's Lawrence Heights neighbourhood, warning residents of a spike of gun crime in that area. On Friday, a suspected mob boss was fatally shot in his Toronto home. 

Lewis called the Toronto police a "great department," and said that they're gathering intelligence, analyzing information and trying to put officers in the right places to prevent further shootings.

"We have no idea how many of these things they've actually prevented and thwarted. I would suggest many, many," he said.

"And even though it's not right, even one death is too many, when you compare it to other major cities in North America, this is a tremendously safe city still."