Friends, family and community members held a vigil for a 70-year-old man who was shot and killed in his van earlier in the week.
Alva Dixon, also known as “Seedie,” was fatally shot Wednesday night as he sat in a van outside a Toronto Community Housing residence in the area of Victoria Park Avenue and Morcambe Gate.
“Please come together with flowers and candles as we try to cope with our loss,” vigil organizers said in a poster for the event. “Seedie was the heart of the Chester Le neighbourhood.”
The vigil was held at 6 p.m. at 51 Morecambe Gate.
“He was always there to help people,” said Mary Oshingbemb, a friend of the victim attending the vigil.
Dixon, a carpenter and handyman, had eight children, but members of the community say he was a father figure to many more.
“My kids walked up to him and said ‘We don’t have a grandpa in Canada. Can you be are grandpa?’ and he said yes,” Oshingbemb said.
The fatal shooting was caught on surveillance camera, which was later released by Toronto police.
The video, which was posted to YouTube, shows a man step over a low fence and approach the passenger's side of the van.
Two flashes of light are visible at the end of what appears to be a gun held by the suspect. The man can then be seen running in the opposite direction.
Police released the video Thursday along with two photos of a suspect, hoping that someone will be able to identify him.
Anyone with information is asked to call 416-808-4200 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477 (TIPS).
With a report from CTV Toronto’s Ben Mercer
