Police have released a composite sketch of a person of interest in the murder of a 32-year-old woman outside a downtown club two years ago.
Jelena Loncar was struck by a stray bullet outside C Lounge nightclub near Wellington Street and Spadina Avenue shortly after 3 a.m. on Aug. 26, 2014.
According to police, Loncar was not the intended target of the shooting and had only arrived outside the club minutes prior after finishing up a shift as a waitress at a nearby restaurant.
Police say the actual intended target of the shooting was a man who was shot multiple times outside the club but has since recovered from his injuries.
“Jelena had nothing to do with any of the circumstances involved however she paid the ultimate price,” Det. Andy Singh told reporters on Friday. “That’s the tragic part of this.”
Suspects had committed robbery outside club
Singh said police believe a group of men who arrived outside the club in three separate vehicles that night were also involved in another shooting in a parking lot near The Queensway and Royal York Road about 25 minutes prior to the murder.
Once the suspects arrived on Wellington Street, Singh said that they proceeded to disembark their vehicles and approach two men and rob them of gold chains that they were wearing.
The second man, however, fought back and Singh said that one of the suspects opened fire on him as he ran away, striking Loncar once in the chest in the process.
Singh said that investigators have determined that the robbery was not the “prime motive” in the case; however he refused to elaborate on why the male victim was targeted.
What’s clear, the detective said, is that Loncar was an innocent victim.
“She never spoke or associated with the male victim or any of the suspects,” he said. “She was an innocent victim who was caught in the line of fire.”
Composite sketch shows suspect in robbery
The composite sketch that has been released is of one of the male suspects that were involved in the robberies.
Singh said it’s too early to say whether the man depicted in the sketch was also the one who opened fire but he said that is a possibility.
Though two years have now passed since the shooting. Singh said he is still hopeful that the person responsible for Loncar’s death will be found and brought to justice.
“There are certainly one or more persons that know who is responsible for killing Jelena,” he said.
As part of the ongoing investigation into the homicide, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders has authorized a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect.
As well, police have released a photo of a distinctive gold pendant that was taken from one of the men outside the club by the suspects. The pendant did not belong to the intended target of the shooting.
“We believe the pendant is still in possession of the suspects,” Singh said.
The person of interest is described as black, 18 to 25 years old, five-foot-ten to six-feet talk with a thin build, gold grills on his teeth and short black hair, possibly in cornrows.
