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A teenager was shot and killed this week after using an app to track his lost smartphone, according to police in Canada.

Jeremy Cook, 18, electronically traced his smartphone's location to a mall parking lot in London, Ontario, after leaving it in a taxi, police said.

Cook and a relative went to the address around 5:15 a.m. Sunday, when he was confronted by three men in a car, according to police.

Police say 18-year-old Jeremy Cook was found dead on arrival, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. London Police Service

Cook tried to retrieve his phone when the vehicle began to drive away, prompting him to climb and hold onto the driver's side door, according to London police. Shots were fired, and Cook died from multiple bullet wounds, officials said.

The car was found abandoned nearby, where it had hit a fence then a telephone pole, police said.

"This is a unique case, we haven't had anything like this in the past," London Police spokesman Ken Steeves said. "I mean it's not a new application. I bet it's been used several, several times with no issues."

The teen's death has prompted a manhunt in the area for the three young men at the scene, CBC News reported.