Surveillance camera footage released by Toronto police shows two suspects approach people standing on the sidewalk in Regent Park pointing firearms at them and shooting one of them.
The incidents took place on Wednesday while two male victims were standing outside on River Street, just south of Gerrard Street East.
At 12:43 a.m., police said a man was smoking a cigarette while standing outside of 184 River Street when he was approached by two men. One of the two men was wearing all white with a hooded garment covering his face.
Video of the incident shows the man hold a handgun to the back of the man’s head. He appears to pull the trigger on the firearm but the firearm does not discharge.
The two men are then seen walking away and the victim does not appear to realize what occurred.
The same two men are then believed to have approached a different victim approximately eight minutes later. He was standing near the entrance of a variety store located at 175 River Street.
At this time, police said both men were holding firearms as they pursued the victim on foot into the lobby of a building located at 220 Oak Street.
Officers said a firearm was then discharged in the course of the pursuit, striking the man. He was taken to hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound and has since been released.
The two men were seen fleeing the area on foot after the firearm was discharged.
In a news release issued on Friday, investigators said they would like community members to be “mindful of their surroundings” as they search for these two suspects.
No further descriptions of the suspects have been released.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5100 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
