One man is dead and police are hunting for his killer after shots rang out in a Scarborough plaza early Saturday morning.
Michael Watson, 28, was found inside the "Inner Circle" club around 1am.
Allegedly, a private birthday party was being held at the nightspot at the time; however, it was also open to the public.
Police aren't sure if Watson, pictured, was the target of the shooting or whether the gunfire inside the establishment was random or intended for someone else.
A single bullet hit and killed the young Toronto resident, a post-mortem revealed.
"We are treating this investigation as a homicide," confirmed Det. Wayne Banks of Toronto Police.
"We are looking for any assistance from the public that may have been inside the establishment at the time. Or anybody that knows of anything that may have happened inside there," he continued.
When officers arrived at the strip mall at
91 Rylander Blvd, they found a parking lot full with people. Many were forced onto the pavement as the Emergency Task Force swept through the buildings on the lot, looking for the shooter.
One man said he was taking an after-midnight stroll when he noticed the commotion.
"Well, I was out for a walk. My usual evening walk and I came around here, and saw cop cars," reported Van Luz, who lives in the area.
"From what I've seen and heard, someone was shot at the Inner Circle, and there was quite a big commotion here with the young kids getting very angry with the cops," he continued.
The parking lot was sealed off, as were several establishments on the strip. No one was allowed in or out as investigators questioned those on the scene.
By 2:30am, the ETF had left. The suspect was initially believed to be inside one of the buildings.
Banks was asked if the gunman left through the front or back door of the club.
"We have no idea at this time. We know that patrons fled out the front and back, and we're not sure which exit the shooter [took]," he replied.
The detective added that there could be multiple gunmen.
"...if there was more than one, [we don't know] as to what door they went out of. That is something that we have to look into."
However, he was confident that footage taken from the scene would be helpful.
"We have security video that's been obtained and we will be pouring over that to see what we have, and hopefully be able to get some forensic evidence from the security video," Det. Banks concluded.
Police have set up a command post in the area as they search for clues, though they haven't offered a description of the suspect, or suspects.
Watson is Toronto's 32nd murder victim of 2008.
It's not the first time that stretch road as seen a killing. Back in July of 2007, two men died in a double murder allegedly committed by an underage suspect. Days after the slayings, a 16-year-old turned himself in to police.
If you can help police in Saturday's slaying, call
Crime Stoppers anonymously at
1-800-222-TIPS.
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