The Scarborough Mirror

Police are examining surveillance videos and reviewing information from witnesses as they continue their search for suspects in a Wednesday evening shooting that took the life of a man and injured another.

The gunfire erupted in the rear of a townhouse complex at 1979 Victoria Park Ave., south of Ellesmere Road, at 7:09 p.m.

Justin Brunet, 21, was shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy will be performed today.

A 25-year-old man, who was shot in the right shoulder, was taken by ambulance to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre with non-life-threatening injuries. His name wasn’t released.

The suspects fled in vehicles.

“There were several people in the area,” Const. Wendy Drummond said. “How many of them were involved or how many of them just happened to be bystanders we don’t know at this time.”
Drummond, a Toronto police spokesperson, said one bullet hit a nearby apartment building balcony.

A local resident, who didn’t give her name, said she heard about 10 shots.

“The landlord has been after the kids for firing fireworks off all week, and that’s what I thought it was,” the woman said. “I went out to see, and it’s not something I wanted to see. I’m just lucky I don’t have little kids running around.”

The woman described the victims as polite people and said they would often hang out in the back of the complex.

“They would watch the little ones that they didn’t get hurt and get into trouble,” she said. “They’d open the door for us, and they said hello, have a good day. ... It’s shocking that it happened to them.”

Police haven’t established a motive in the case. Brunet is the city’s 29th murder victim of 2008.

Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide squad at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).