Police have released graphic surveillance footage showing the brazen murder of a man inside a Scarborough building’s lobby.
Thirty-three-year-old Anthony Soares had just been dropped off at a high-rise building on Glamorgan Avenue, near Kennedy and Ellesemere roads, in the early morning hours of September 14 when he was shot numerous times and killed.
Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux said Soares was waiting in the foyer of the building – holding takeout food from a nearby restaurant – when two suspects pulled up in a white, four door Ford Fusion with “heavily tinted windows” and “rushed” him.
Both suspects are carrying handguns, he said.
“The two suspects run to the front foyer area and from the outside start to fire at the deceased through the glass windows,” Giroux said.
“In essence, the deceased is trapped between the inner foyer area and the offenders who are on the opposite side of the glass.”
The video shows the glass windowpanes shatter from the flurry of gunfire and Soares dropping to the floor.
In the video, Soares’ figure is blurred once he collapses. Giroux said investigators opted to conceal that portion of the video out of respect for the family.
“The purpose of the issuing of the video is to identify the reason for the shooting, to identify the offenders who are responsible for the shooting and to generate witness involvement and/or participation,” Giroux said of the video’s release. “The family of the deceased has been warned that there is an investigative purpose for showing this video.”
At one point, a suspect donning a burgundy hoodie clutches the metal frame of the lobby door. Realizing that he may have left fingerprints behind, the suspect then pulls the sleeve of his hoodie over his hand and wipes the frame.
“Despite the fact he was involved in a dynamic situation, he was evidence conscious,” Giroux said. “He was aware that he touched the frame of that door and he was concerned about it.”
Once they’d emptied both their semi-automatic pistols on Soares, Giroux said the suspects jumped back into the vehicle idling outside the building and sped away heading north on Kennedy Road toward Highway 401.
Witnesses were able to provide investigators with a partial license plate but the vehicle’s whereabouts is still unclear.
Soares – a father and partner – was rushed to hospital where he underwent emergency surgery but later died of his injuries.
Giroux said Soares’ friend sped away from the scene when the gunfire erupted but later returned and called police.
The friend is “very distraught” but has been cooperative, he said.
“I commented to him that there really was nothing else he could do,” he said. “He did return he did contact the police, he spoke to investigators and he’s doing whatever he can to assist us. He was in a helpless position, he really had no choice.”
Giroux said the killing was “very targeted, very focused” and “certainly overkill.”
Investigators have not found a connection between Soares and the two suspects.
“He does have a criminal past with the Toronto Police Service. He does have a criminal past with the Toronto Police Service. The family was certainly aware that that may surface during the investigation.”
The family has been “very cooperative,” Giroux added, and is determined to find out who is responsible for their loved one’s murder.
Soares’ death has touched more than just his immediate family.
As a friend of Toronto's Drake, Soares was mourned by the rapper on Instagram last week.
“I still can’t even believe this morning was real,” Drake said in the Instagram post. “It was a honor to have shared years together and I will always keep your memory alive. Forever Fif [sic].”
Giroux said investigators are aware of Soares’ relation to Drake and urged the rapper to use his social media clout to encourage witnesses to come forward.
“His family indicated that he was known to Drake. Drake was a friend of his. Many of the family members have met Drake. I certainly would encourage him (Drake) through his tweets to encourage anyone in the community to come forward to help solve his friend’s murder,” Giroux said.
“We’re looking into his lifestyle and his background but as it stands right now, part of the reason for being here is to find out what the motivation is.”