The widow of a man gunned down at his Etobicoke home last month has issued an appeal for witnesses to come forward as investigators continue to search for a suspect.

At police headquarters on Thursday, Det. Sgt. Joyce Schertzer read out a statement from Alfredo Patriarca’s widow, in an effort to generate leads in the case.

“I’m asking anyone who might know anything or anyone involved in the murder of my husband to please come forward with information that might assist in the arrest of the person responsible for taking his life,” the statement said.

The 42-year-old father of two young children was shot and killed at his home, located at 519 The Kingsway, on Jan. 20. Police have previously released video footage from surveillance cameras that shows Patriarca arriving home in his car that night, and pulling into his garage. Moments later, a suspect is seen entering the garage by foot, only to flee seconds later. Investigators have acknowledged it was a targeted killing but wouldn’t get into any specific motive.

Schertzer told reporters on Thursday that detectives are concerned that people are becoming “desensitized” to the fatal incident because of its possible connections to organized crime.

“I think what’s troubling is that everyone is seizing on this organized crime connection, and really, it’s taking away from the fact that a life was taken,” Schertzer said.

“He was a father and he was a husband.”

Schertzer has said that Patriarca was present at the Sicilian Sidewalk Café in Toronto's Little Italy on June 18, 2012, when another patron was shot and killed. That man was later identified as 35-year-old John Raposo. Schertzer said she believes Patriarca was injured in that shooting.

But Schertzer noted that Patriarca has “never been charged with an offence in relation to organized crime.”

Schertzer also said that everyone in the community can be subjected to gun violence “if we don’t do anything about it.”

'Loving husband'

Referring to her husband as Freddy in the letter, Patriarca’s widow described him as a loving husband and devoted father.

“Please don’t let the person who killed Freddy get away with taking away such a good and giving man,” she said. “No one has the right to take the life of another.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).