A robbery gone wrong may be what led to the death of a 31-year-old Toronto man who was gunned down inside a busy downtown restaurant earlier this month, Toronto police say.
Two 'violent altercations' altercations broke out at Garden Restaurant, located at the corner of Dundas and Chestnut streets, in the early morning hours of Nov. 16 after a group of suspects tried to steal two gold chains from a patron, Toronto Police Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux said at at news conference Monday.
Homicide victim Tariq Mohammed and a group of his friends arrived at the restaurant, located at the corner of Dundas and Chestnut streets, sometime after 3 a.m. after partying at Music Nightclub.
Giroux said the group ordered food and after they were served, Mohammed and a male friend, who was wearing a significant amount of expensive jewelry, went to the washroom.
While the men were in the washroom, police say as many as five suspects entered the restaurant. They were not seated at a table by staff and three of them began to “loiter” around the washroom area.
Giroux said Mohammed’s friend was attacked when he exited the washroom by the suspects, two of whom were armed with firearms. The suspects ripped two gold chains, valued at between $2,000 to $3,000, off of the man’s neck.
Mohamed and his friend were able to break free from the suspects but a few seconds later, police say another violent fight broke out between the two groups by the takeout counter at the front of the restaurant.
“What I suspect… is that they were certainly angry by the fact that they had been robbed,” Giroux said.
According to police, numerous shots rang out inside the restaurant and patrons began to hide underneath tables.
Mohammed sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was killed instantly. Two female bystanders were struck by stray bullets and required emergency medical attention, however, they are expected to recover.
“The possibility is that he could very well have been targeted based on the fact that the chains were very apparent and looked expensive,” Giroux told reporters Monday afternoon.
Police say there were at least two shooters and investigators are working to release video surveillance footage of the incident. Giroux would not say whether the victim and the suspects had met before their encounter at Garden Restaurant.
There were approximately 60 people inside the restaurant at the time of the shooting and police say about a dozen have given statements.
“We still have a number of witnesses that haven’t come forward,” Giroux said.
Detailed suspect descriptions have not been released but police say they are hoping to release the surveillance footage in the next few days.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400 x77387 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
