Police have arrested a 20-year-old Toronto man on first-degree murder charges in connection with the city's first homicide of 2009, Toronto police confirmed Monday.

Anderson Nop, 20, was arrested at his Toronto home on Sunday, homicide Det. Sgt. Gary Grinton told ctvtoronto.ca on Monday.

Nop is one of three suspects under police investigation after the body of Johnny Gewarges Youkhana, 36, was found shot dead in the parking lot outside a massage parlour in a North York stripmall on Jan. 3.

The arrest came a little over a week after the shooting after a number of tips poured in from the public identifying the suspect who was seen in images taken from plaza surveillance video.

When the images were released, police described the man in custody as Asian, about 5'7" with a slim build.

Grinton called the surveillance video "extremely important" to the investigation.

"That put it together for us," he said.

Police are still looking for the gunman, Grinton said. "We're still working hard on that."

Nop will be brought to the Ontario Court of Justice at 1000 Finch Ave. on Monday where he will be formally arraigned. He is likely to be remanded into custody as the murder investigation continues, Grinton said.

The vehicle caught on surveillance video fleeing the scene was not registered to Nop, Grinton said. The vehicle has been described as a silver SUV, similar to Nissan Pathfinder or Toyota 4Runner.

Grinton said they've made "very good progress" in the case and he expects to have the remaining two suspects in custody by the end of the week.

The men are described as:

  • Black, between 18 and 25 years of age, wearing a red winter coat with large lettering (either RP or BP) on the back of the jacket.
  • South Asian, between 18 and 25 years of age, about 6' tall with a husky build

Grinton said police now have information on how the fatal altercation started at the Weston Road and Finch Avenue stripmall, but police aren't releasing the details at this time.

Witnesses told police there was an argument inside a second-floor massage parlour. The fight continued outside where gunshots rang out in the parking lot, according to reports.

Anyone with information is being asked to call homicide detectives at 416-808-7415. Anonymous tips can be left with Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS.