Police say a man who died on Sunday after being shot in the head outside a bar in Liberty Village was trying to help a friend involved in a fight.
“He went to his friend’s rescue,” Toronto Det.-Sgt. Steve Ryan told CTV Toronto on Monday.
The victim has been identified as 26-year-old Toronto resident Kiesingar Gunn.
Police said Gunn was driving away from a bar near Mowat Avenue and Liberty Street at around 4 a.m. when he noticed a friend was involved in a fight.
He ran over to intervene and was shot, police said.
He was rushed to a trauma centre but succumbed to his injuries just before midnight Sunday.
“My body is in shock… I have lost my best friend… my lover and amazing father of three of my kids. A part of me has died with him… I’m going to miss everything about him, him coming home and hugging me from behind while I’m cooking dinner and saying ‘I love you babe,’” Gunn’s partner said in a Facebook post Monday.
The homicide unit is leading the investigation.
Investigators have reiterated that they don’t believe the man was the intended target of the shooting and are now looking for suspects in the case.
Police believe that Gunn was the only person shot, however, sources told CTV News that two different kinds of shell casings were recovered at the scene.
“It’s tragic. It’s terrible. It’s just so upsetting,” local resident Rachel Miller said.
So far, few details have been released about potential suspects. Witnesses reported seeing a vehicle fleeing from the scene, but no arrests have been made.
Investigators are still looking to identify and talk to the friend involved in the fight that Gunn tried to break up.
“I would think he would do the right thing and give us a call… because that person I would think would know who pulled the trigger,” Ryan said.
Police are asking anyone who may have cellphone video, photos or surveillance camera footage of the scene around the time of the shooting to contact them at 416-808-7400.
