Police search for suspect vehicle in fatal downtown double shooting

Toronto police are searching for a suspect they say used a blue Mazda to flee the scene of a double shooting that left one man dead and a woman injured.

Multiple shots rang out around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday on King Street W., near Brant Street, said Duty Insp. Darren Alldrit. Several people in the area made calls to police, he added.

A group of officers were nearby on Spadina Avenue doing a roadside spot check for impaired drivers and ran to the scene.

They found a man and a woman suffering from gunshot wounds, Alldrit said. Both were transported to hospital, where the man was pronounced dead.

The woman's injuries are not life-threatening, according to Alldrit.

Police later said the man was walking with a group of people when he was approached by the suspect. The woman was also walking in the area, police added.

Suspect fled in vehicle, police say

Toronto police's homicide unit has taken over the investigation. There was no suspect description available by midday Wednesday, but police now say the suspect fled the area in a vehicle they believe is a blue Mazda.

Investigators are appealing for any information or video from witnesses or local business owners. Members of the public can contact police directly or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers.

King Street was closed throughout the night between Portland and Spadina for the investigation, but it has since reopened to traffic.

A post-mortem has been scheduled for Thursday.

Tony Smyth/CBC
Tony Smyth/CBC

Day marred with violence

Police say in all, there were seven shootings from early Tuesday into early Wednesday, with two being homicides.

Early Tuesday, a 28-year-old man died after he was shot multiple times in a dark-coloured SUV outside a North York apartment building.

And hours before the fatal downtown shooting — just before 8 p.m. Tuesday — police found a man with gunshot wounds near the corner of Keele Street and Ingram Drive in York.

His injuries were life-threatening, police said, and he was rushed to a trauma centre for treatment.

Toronto Police Service
Toronto Police Service