York Regional Police are investigating a homicide following a Friday night shooting at Pacific Mall.
The incident occurred about 8:45 p.m. at the mall, located at 4300 Steeles Ave. in Markham. The mall, North America's largest indoor Asian shopping centre, was about to close for the evening.
"Officers located a male victim on the floor of XSITE with signs of gunshot wounds. The victim was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was later pronounced dead," York police said in a news release issued Saturday.
They identified the victim as Kit Chung Cheong (Daniel), 26, of Toronto.
"After the incident a suspect was last seen running northwest through the mall," police said.
They issued the following description of the suspect:
- male, brown or black skin coloured, approximately 6', thin build and some facial hair
- he was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt (the hood was up at the time of the incident) and dark-coloured pants
- he may have been armed with a handgun
Police tried to prevent shoppers and vehicles from leaving in the wake of the shooting. A police helicopter circled overhead, but the suspect managed to escape.
Investigators want to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or have knowledge about the incident.
Those people can call York Regional Police # 5 District Headquarters in Markham at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7500, Crime stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or leave an anonymous tip online at www.1800222tips.com.
With files from The Canadian Press
