A 17-year-old boy was shot to death on Thursday night at the same Scarborough apartment complex where a young man was hit by bullets five days ago.

Several shots rang out at 80 Mornelle Crt., near Ellesmere Road and Morningside Avenue, at about 6:40 p.m.

Officers found Shazad Khawaja suffering from gunshot wounds in an outdoor concrete stairwell between two highrise buildings. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

His parents are having a hard time trying to come to grips with the death of their only child.

"I'm very sad ... it just breaks me and my wife," the teen's father Waheed told CTV Toronto through tears. "I don't know if (the killer has) a conscience. He was only a 17-year-old kid."

Khawaja was described as well-liked and a good student who had dreams of becoming a lawyer.

Relatives drove up from the United States on Friday morning to be with the grieving family.

Police are investigating what led to the attack, but family members believe it was a case of mistaken identity.

Khawaja's friends are also in shock by the killing.

"I just can't believe this, I can't believe he's dead," Ashley Jones said as she wept.

Jones' 22-year-old ex-boyfriend was shot at the same area five days ago. She said the man is likely paralyzed.

Police say it's too early to say if the shootings are connected.

However, unlike Saturday's shooting, witnesses are co-operating and giving statements to officers in the homicide, said Supt. Paul Gottschalk.

Witnesses said they saw a black BMW speed away after the shooting, and a gunman run into a nearby building.

Officers continued to search for evidence in a grassy area on Friday. Police were also trying to obtain surveillance camera footage from the lobby where the gunman was believed to have fled.

Some residents said they are frightened and want to move because of the recent gunfire. However, Statistics Canada figures released Thursday show Toronto is the safest large city in Canada.

Khawaja is the city's 31st homicide of the year.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Det. Sgt. Ian Briggs or Det. Peter Moreira at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or online at www.222tips.com.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness