Man, 23, identified as victim in fatal Etobicoke shooting

A 23-year-old man is dead after more than a dozen shots were fired at a townhouse complex in Etobicoke on Wednesday night.

Police were called to the Martin Grove and Albion Road area just after 9 p.m. for reports that a man had been shot.

When they arrived, they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim has been identified as Awais Ismail Awais of Toronto. CityNews has learned he lived in the complex with family and was killed just steps from his front door. 

Investigators believe Awais was in the parking lot with a couple of friends when they were ambushed by two men wearing hoodies. Police also believe the suspects were dropped off in a vehicle. 

Several vehicles riddled with bullet holes were towed away as investigators try to determine what sparked the gun violence. At this point there is no indication that the victim was specifically targeted. 

Many residents expressed sadness, fear and anger after the shooting.

“To see a young boy lifeless like that, it’s painful, it’s painful. Even right now, I’m shaking and feeling very bad, it could have been my son, it could have been me, it could have been anybody,” one resident tells CityNews.

The mother of an 8-year-old boy, who did not want to be identified out of fear for her safety, tells CityNews this is the third shooting in the four years they have lived in the complex.

“I think we need to start saving up and move away because he could be next,” she said. “It’s a shame.”

Police have established a command post in the area and there will be a heightened presence in the neighbourhood as they continue to investigate the shooting.