Family members of one of two men fatally shot at an after-hours bar near Kensington Market on Canada Day pleaded with those responsible to come forward on Tuesday.
LeFranc Matthews, 41, and 42-year-old Justin Bokma, were both shot and killed inside the second-floor bar they both worked at in the College Street and August Avenue area at around 5:10 a.m.
Police said there were around 30 people inside at the time. Video surveillance footage of the incident appeared to show Matthews and Bokma attempting to break up a fight that broke out when they were shot, according to police.
To date, no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting and no suspect information has been provided by police.
On Tuesday, members of Matthews’ family gathered in Oakville to remember the father and son.
“My son was shot,” Matthews’ mother Anna Matthews told CTV Toronto through tears. “He was murdered.”
Matthews studied chemical engineering at the University of Toronto, his family said, and enjoyed working at the bar where he was killed.
He was the father of two small children -- a 10-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl.
His aunt, Vivienne Rose, pleaded with the person who pulled the trigger to turn themselves in.
“We are asking you to come forward,” she said. “Don’t hide behind anonymity.”
Police continue to investigate.
