Police turn to social media to help solve 2015 sniper murder

A 37-year-old man who was found dead on a Kingston Road driveway last year was the victim of a sniper, police said.

Emergency crews were called to the scene near Ellesmere Road around 2:15 a.m. on Oct. 1.

Clinton Yow Foo suffered a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.

At the time, police said it was unclear where the shooting had taken place and neighbours said they hadn’t heard a gunshot.

The autopsy determined Yow Foo was killed by a single shot from a high powered rifle, fired a considerable distance away.

“We believe the sniper’s perch was approximately 200 yards away,” Det.-Sgt. Tam Bui said during a press conference on Tuesday.

With the new information, police expanded their search and found a rifle believed to be the weapon.

Police don’t know why the rifle was left behind.

There has been no word on if the sniper was a professional but Bui noted that it would have been a difficult shot.

“This was a shot that was made at a considerable distance. It was made at night, in the dark, it was windy and Clinton was on the move when he was shot so I believe this person has some considerable skill or some training.” he said.

“Clinton had some ties to organized crime groups in the Toronto area. He has a history of involvement in major drug investigations and we are certainly looking into that,” he continued.

Yow Foo was one of several people arrested in a major drug bust in 2009, in which Durham regional police seized about $3 million worth of drugs, homes, cars and cash.

Investigators have determined that the rifle has a connection to the Montreal area but beyond that, all leads have gone cold. Bui said that since the shooting happened during hunting season, they are hoping that someone may recognize this rifle from a firing range.

“What we have recovered from the rifle has left us at a dead end, except for the connection to Montreal,” said Bui.

It was also determined that Yow Foo was on the phone, speaking with someone out of country, when was killed. Police are asking that person to come forward.

Toronto police have turned to social media using the hashtag #CatchTheSniper, in the hopes that someone will help them find the suspect responsible for Yow Foo’s death.

They used a similar technique last year to crack the 2012 murder of Mike Pimentel who was stabbed in Liberty Village. The unconventional method was inspired by the popular true-crime podcast Serial.

After a joint effort with Calgary police and the RCMP, Toronto police charged Calgary resident Shawn Poirier with second degree murder.