It appears Toronto's 31st homicide victim of 2008 was a 17-year-old, shot and killed right where another young man was hit with bullets less than a week earlier.

The latest gunfire erupted on Mornelle Court near Morningside and Ellesmere Thursday.

Though police won't confirm as much, it's believed Shazad Khawaja was hit multiple times, found without vital signs by emergency crews who worked frantically, but ineffectively to save his life.

The shooting took place perilously close to a playground, at the opposite end of the same set of steps where a 22-year-old man suffered life-threatening gunshot wounds the previous weekend.

Some who live nearby say the two shootings may have been related, with Khawaja potentially targeted because of knowledge of the previous incident. Others even say the two victims knew each other.

"He (Shazad) was friends with the guy who got shot Saturday," said Ashley Jones, a classmate of Thursday's victim. "They all know each other."

Khawaja is remembered as an excellent student with no ties to gangs. Though police haven't confirmed he's the victim, his family has reportedly been told.

"I don't know why it happened ... why it happened with him," the teen's tearful father, Waheed Khawaja said.

Residents of the often-troubled neighbourhood have been slow to cooperate, though police say they're treating the matter just like any other involving gunplay and resulting in a senseless murder.

"There are problems here, I would like to think no more than a lot of other neighbourhoods in the city of Toronto," said Toronto police Supt. Paul Gottschalk. 

"Unfortunately, we've had two violent crimes in the last seven days. I know that there's a sense of fear right now."

If you have any information that might help investigators call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS.