Man murdered in Thorncliffe Park

Police identify the victim of a fatal Saturday shooting as Shoaib Asakzai

Police cars at scene of a shootiing

Police closed down Thorncliffe Park Drive in both directions after a man was shot multiple times in a parking lot of 71 Thorncliffe Park on Saturday evening.. (Ziaulhaq Zarawar/Toronto Observer)

Shoaib Asakzai, 25, from Toronto was shot multiple times close to Thorncliffe Park Drive and Overlea Boulevard on Saturday at around 6:20 p.m. He was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and was pronounced dead two hours later.

Police said they were called at 6:22 p.m. after a report of shooting at 71 Thorncliffe Park Dr. They found Asakzai in the back parking lot of the high-rise, with life-threatening injuries.

Asakzai is the city’s 11th homicide of 2017. The Toronto police homicide unit is now handling the investigation.

Police closed Thorncliffe Park Drive in both directions for a time on Saturday night while they investigated the shooting.

Authorities have not yet released any information about the suspect(s).

The Toronto Police homicide unit is investigating after Shoaib Asakzai was pronounced dead at the hospital. (Ziaulhaq Zarawar/Toronto Observer)

A neighbourhood resident familiar with Asakzai said the victim lived in Scarborough but visited Thorncliffe Park fairly often. Published reports from July, 2011 say that Asakzai and a friend were arrested after a violent altercation at an East York mall that left three people wounded with knife and gunshot wounds. As a result, Asakzai, then 20, was charged with pointing a firearm and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

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Posted: Feb 27 2017 11:34 am
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Filed under: News