Muzik shooting victim's parents plead with witnesses to come forward

The family of the young man gunned down at Muzik nightclub is pleading with witnesses to come forward with information.

Duvel Hibbert, 23, was shot dead on the patio of the club at Exhibition Place in the early morning hours of August 4 during an after-party for Drake's OVO Fest.

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Ariela Navarro-Fenoy, 26, was shot moments later on Dufferin Street, just north of the Dufferin Gate, as the crowd streamed out of the club.

On Thursday, Hibbert's parents said their son did not deserve to die at the club and are asking anyone who was there that night to help police with their investigation.

"Whatever information they have, please bring it forward," said Hibbert's mother, Auline Lewis.

"It will not bring our son back, but at least it will bring us some closure."

Hibbert was due in court two days after the shooting on drug charges. Hibbert's parents would not speak about that on Thursday, but did say that they want the public to know how much their son was loved.

"We love our son and he's gone. And that's the bottom line, he's gone," Lewis said. "Did he deserve to die that way, though? I don't think so."

Club could have prevented death, family says

Hibbert's parents have hired a lawyer over concerns that his death could have been prevented.

"In this particular incident that a gun got into what was supposed to be a secure environment, those are clear concerns," said lawyer Michael Smitiuch. "And the club had a duty under the law to keep the patrons safe."

The family has not yet filed a lawsuit, and Smitiuch said he is waiting for more facts about what happened that night.

City bylaws require that a venue have one security guard for every 100 people at an event. On the night of the shooting, Muzik had 73 guards for the 4,000 people who attended the party, some of whom were equipped with metal-detectors.

In a statement, the club confirmed Thursday that it did have working security cameras on the night of the shooting and the footage has been shared with police.

Funeral planned for next month

Mayor John Tory stopped short of calling for sweeping changes, despite calls from two councillors to ban the OVO after-party from Exhibition Grounds.

"Our objective has to be to make it safe and keep it safe," Tory told reporters.

Hibbert's family did not specify what they would have liked the club to do to keep their son and other partygoers safe.

"What would be the best thing for me is someone to tap me and say, 'wake up you're dreaming," said the young man's father, Eelroy Hibbert. "But it's not a dream."

The family is planning Hibbert's funeral for the end of August.