The use of paid-duty officers has been suspended at Muzik nightclub following two deadly shootings at the Toronto club last week.
The practice of using officers to assist with security and crowd control has been put on hold for "public and safety reasons," Toronto Police spokesperson Mark Pugash told CTV Toronto.
Pugash said club staff members are working closely with police in the ongoing shooting investigation.
The announcement came a week after two people in their 20s were fatally shot in the area. Duvel Hibbert, 23, was fatally shot on the patio of the club in the early morning hours of Aug. 4.
A few minutes later, 26-year-old Ariela Navarro-Fenoy was shot near the Dufferin Gates as she walked away from the club. Both victims had been attending the official OVO Fest after-party hosted by Toronto rapper Drake.
Police say Navarro-Fenoy was an innocent bystander in the brazen shooting.
"She was walking with friends from the club when she was struck during an altercation between several people in the immediate area," Police Chief Mark Saunders told reporters Tuesday afternoon.
"She had not been involved in any of the incidents that resulted in the shootings."
Meanwhile, investigators believe Hibbert may have been a target in the shooting.
"The evidence that we have now is that the male shot inside the nightclub was an intended target," Saunders said.
Sources previously told CTV Toronto Hibbert was a member of the Hot Heads Crew, a street gang from Malton. He has also appeared in court for a number of charges, including assault and extortion.
Police said there were approximately 4,000 people at the club at the time, including 10 paid-duty police officers who were hired to assist with security. Off-duty officers are often hired to assist with security at major events, film shoots and construction sites in the city.
The shooting that claimed the lives of Navarro-Fenoy and Hibbert is still under investigation.
Police are searching for two suspects in connection with the shootings.
The first suspect linked to the shooting near the Dufferin Gates is described as a 24- to 28-year-old male with brown skin. He has a skinny build and is between 5'10" and 5'11" tall. Police say he was last seen wearing a yellow, burgundy and plaid button-up shirt.
The second suspect linked to the shooting inside the club is described as a black male, between 25- and 26-years-old, and is between 6'1" and 6'2" tall. He was last seen with a fresh buzz cut and was wearing dark blue jeans and a light purple crewneck sweater with a colourful design on the front.
Saunders said an appeal for video or photographs taken at the time of the shooting has so far yielded "very little." He said "only a few” of the thousands of patrons who were at the club have contacted police.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1400, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477 (TIPS). They have also set up a website where witnesses can upload photos and videos taken at the club.
