Police ID man shot dead in Yorkdale Mall parking lot
Kashif Jamal Bentley-Jean, 28, pronounced dead at the scene, police say
Toronto police have identified a man shot dead in the parking lot of Yorkdale Mall early Thursday in what investigators believe was "not a random shooting."
Kashif Jamal Bentley-Jean, 28, of Toronto, died outside the mall in the area of Highway 401 and Dufferin Street, police said in a news release on Friday. Police responded to a call about a person with a gun in the area at about 6:13 a.m.
When officers arrived, they found Bentley-Jean shot.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the shooter or shooters fled the area before police arrived. Investigators believe this was "not a random shooting," Det. Sajeev Nair told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.
"We understand that an incident like this, particularly in a public location like a mall, can be deeply unsettling," he said. "I want to ensure the public that we're dedicating all necessary resources to this case."
Bentley-Jean is the city's 21st homicide of the year.
Anyone with information is being asked to call police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
With files from Sarah Petz