Police release video footage of suspect, vehicle in Hirani homicide

Police have identified the car involved in the shooting death of a Toronto man over the weekend and there’s an unusual twist as to where it came from.

Karim Hirani was found with a single gunshot wound to the head in the area of 415 Driftwood Avenue near Jane Street around 3:30 a.m. on July 8. Despite life-saving efforts, the 25-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say moments before the shooting, the victim and two others had purchased some alcohol and proceeded to a nearby courtyard next to a pedestrian bridge and began drinking. An unknown male suspect then exited a car, approached the three men and began shooting at the victim. The suspect then fled the scene.

Through surveillance video, police have identified the car used in the shooting as a dark Nissan Maxima with license plate CCES572.

Det.-Sgt. Mike Carbone says the vehicle is registered to a numbered company in Toronto which operates as a rental company, but not in the traditional sense.

“These individuals are ‘renting’ vehicles… folks can go up to this company and make some type of business transaction and they can have this car,” explained Carbone, who added this practice is becoming more prevalent among the criminal element.

“It’s mostly a cash business and you can see why individuals may want to use this type of service to maintain their anonymity.”

Carbone says they have yet to recover the vehicle seen in the video and have been unable to speak with anyone associated with the company.

The suspect is described as a man, approximately 20 years old, wearing a hooded sweater and dark pants.

Carbone says Hirani was targeted but they have yet to identify a motive for the shooting.