TORONTO -- Investigators have identified a 26-year-old man who was pronounced dead in the parking lot of a west-end Toronto Walmart on Thursday after being shot.
Emergency crews were called to the area of St. Clair and Mould avenues, near Runnymede Road, around 1:45 p.m. after receiving a report of a shooting.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found a man in the parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound.
Despite life-saving measures, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victim has been identified by police as Toronto resident Andre Rodriguez.
Not much else is known about the circumstances of the shooting, but witnesses who were in the area at the time told CTV News Toronto that they heard an argument seconds before shots were fired.
“Suddenly, I hear two people arguing behind the carts,” one resident, who did not want to be identified, said. “Thirty seconds later I heard two shots. Then I run over there and see one guy lying on the ground.”
Investigators said that a white SUV with one occupant was seen travelling westbound on St. Clair Avenue at the time of the shooting.
Police are asking anyone who knew Rodriquez or who may have been in contact with him over the last week to contact investigators. They are also asking anyone who was driving in the area between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and who may have dashboard camera footage to reach out to police.
This is Toronto’s 49th homicide of the year.
