A 55-year-old man is dead after he was shot in the chest in Toronto's west end just before midnight Sunday, police said.

Mohamed Wasaghe was rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital after he was shot in unit # 919 in an apartment at 333 Sidney Belsey Crescent in the Jane Street and Weston Road area. Wasaghe, who had begun to suffer from the early stages of Alzheimers, died from his injuries in hospital.

Police said a woman was pistol-whipped in the incident and suffered minor injuries.

Neighbours said they could hear shooting in the apartment's hallway and said the man who was shot wasn't alone.

"I just heard he had some visitors and of course intruders came and did something," said a friend of the victim.

Another resident said she could hear a woman crying, but didn't open her door.

A forensic team investigated the scene on Monday and searched for clues in trash bins behind the building.

The apartment is only three years old and residents said nothing like the shooting has ever happened.

"I don't know if it's someone who lived in the building who committed the murder (or) if it was someone outside. You just have to be extremely careful," said Kevin Burke, a resident of the building.

Family members grieved in the lobby on Monday, but weren't allowed upstairs to the man's apartment.

The victim's son said he doesn't know why someone would kill his father.

"My father was a good man, worked hard. It's in unfortunate situation. I'm just lost for words right now. We're just trying to keep the family together and we're just trying to stay strong," said Adele Omar.

With files from CTV Toronto's Colin D'Mello.