Toronto police have identified a 15-year-old boy who died following a shooting in a Regent Park highrise Friday afternoon.

The teen, identified by police Friday night as Tyson Bailey, was shot four times at an apartment building on Whiteside Place, located near Dundas and River streets, at around 2 p.m.

“By all accounts he was a fine young man,” Toronto police Det. Sgt. Justin Vander Heyden said of Bailey during a press conference Friday night.

Bailey was rushed to hospital after a brief delay because emergency crews were unable to work the elevators in the building, which had originally been put out of service as a precaution and malfunctioned when recalled.

According to EMS, five paramedics were forced to take the stairs to reach Bailey on the top floor of the 13-storey building. They were then required to bring him down the same stairs and into an awaiting ambulance.

Bailey succumbed to his injuries in hospital a short time later.

"Considering the circumstances, they made it up pretty quickly," EMS spokesperson Kim McKinnon told CP24 Friday afternoon.

McKinnon said she didn’t know whether paramedics would have been able to save Bailey if they were able to get to him faster. She said every patient is different and paramedics treat them as best they can.

Police sources had originally said that Bailey would survive.

Why Bailey was in the building remains unknown to investigators.

“It’s still a mystery to me why he was on the 13th floor of this building at two o’clock this afternoon,” Vander Heyden said.

Vander Heyden said that Bailey did not have a criminal record and added “there is absolutely nothing in [Bailey’s] background or his current lifestyle that we can determine any sort of gang affiliation or any sort of gang association whatsoever.”

He added that a “great deal” of surveillance video had been collected from buildings in the area and that investigators are currently in the process of sifting through the footage.

Residents evacuated

Residents of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation building were initially asked to leave the property, but were allowed to return to their apartments at around 4:45 p.m.

The parking lot and the apartment complex were cordoned off by police as officers scoured the scene for evidence.

A command post was also set up.

"Officers are going through the building looking for any security cameras and also speaking to witnesses," Const. Tony Vella told CP24 earlier on Friday. "We just want to get as much information as possible."

Two ‘persons of interest’ sought by police

Police are currently searching for two males identified as “persons of interest” in connection with their investigation.

“At this early stage of the investigation we’re interested in talking with two persons of interest,” Vander Heyden said.

The first is described as white, 25 to 30 years old, tall and skinny, with a pock-ridden complexion.

The second is described as black, 25 to 30 years old, short, with a thick black jacket.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

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