Police remain at scene on Parker Avenue, near Poplar Drive, in Richmond Hill following the “isolated and targeted” shooting Thursday evening that left a man in his 40s dead.聽
Police remain at scene on Parker Avenue, near Poplar Drive, in Richmond Hill following the “isolated and targeted” shooting Thursday evening that left a man in his 40s dead.聽
A man is dead following a “targeted and isolated” shooting in Richmond Hill on Thursday evening, police say.
York Regional Police responded to reports of the shooting on Parker Avenue, near Poplar Drive, at around 6:45 p.m. and found a man lying in the road with gunshot wounds, officers said in a .
The man, who was in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene 鈥 near King Road and Yonge Street聽鈥 investigators said.
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“We do believe that this incident is both targeted and isolated,” Const. James Dickson聽told reporters in a media scrum Thursday night.聽
Shortly afterward, police received a call about a vehicle fire in the area of , Dickson said.
“We do believe that this vehicle is directly connected with the shooting,” Dickson added.
Investigators are looking for at least two suspects, though they do not yet have descriptions.
Dickson said they do not believe there is any threat to public safety.
Come Friday, some investigators could be seen canvassing Parker Avenue, still cordoned off by police tape, in search of witnesses. Others combed through the grass on the roadside with metal detectors.
Evidence markers and a green tarp, surrounded by pylons, lay on the roadway, piquing the curiosity of neighbouring residents.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 just so sad,鈥 a neighbour, out walking her dog on Friday morning, told the Star. 鈥淎nd so scary.鈥
The woman, who asked the Star to shield her identity due to safety concerns, said she rushed out of her home Thursday evening after hearing a 鈥渃ommotion.鈥 Outside, police cruisers and ambulances had flooded her block.
鈥淎ll hell had broken loose,鈥 she said.
As of Friday, she says, she hasn鈥檛 been given any details on the incident and, with suspects still on the loose, safety remains top of mind for much of the neighbourhood.
鈥淭he police have said it鈥檚 not random, that it was targeted, so I guess that gives us a bit of peace,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 just hope they鈥檙e caught soon.鈥
Police set up a command post at Oak Ridges Public School, on Coons Road, and asked those with doorbell or security video of the shooting scene to come forward.聽
JS
Joshua Smith is a breaking news reporter, working out of the
Star鈥檚 radio room in Toronto. He can be reached
at聽joshuasmith@thestar.ca.聽
Abby O鈥橞rien is a Toronto-based general assignment reporter for
the Star. Reach her via email: abbyobrien@thestar.ca
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