The man shot dead with a crossbow Thursday afternoon was the father of the man charged with first-degree murder in the same case, police said Friday afternoon.

Si Cheng, 52, of Toronto, was shot inside an east-end library and pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The Main St. library, located just south of Gerrard St. E., was bustling with children and their parents when Cheng was shot around 4 p.m.

Zhou Fang, 24, of Ottawa, was arrested shortly after the attack and has been charged with first-degree murder. Cheng is also referred to in court documents as Si William Cheng.

Reached on Friday afternoon, Const. Tony Vella confirmed that the victim and suspect are father and son.

Fang made a brief court appearance Friday morning and was remanded in custody.

According to land registry documents, Si Cheng bought a house on Mintwood Dr., in North York, in October 2000 with someone named Cheng Mei Fang. The property was transferred to Cheng Mei Fang in April this year.

Next-door neighbour Allan Krett said a stocky man named William Cheng lived on the other side of his semi-detached home but was recently evicted.

Krett said Cheng moved in about a decade ago with his wife, who went by Nora, and a son named Peter, who was a teenager at the time. Cheng’s mother-in-law also apparently lived with the family.

But according to Krett, the couple’s marriage fell apart a few years ago. He said Cheng’s wife once told him her husband was violent towards her and had served time in prison. Police officers and prison officials have showed up at Krett’s door on at least a few occasions asking if he had seen Cheng.

“My understanding was that he was violent towards his wife, mother-in-law, and son and because of that, he was prosecuted and he did time,” Krett said. “Then prior to him coming out, they seemed to leave. They were frightened to be in the house and he moved back in.”

Krett said Cheng’s wife got possession of the house but was “frightened to come (home).” Cheng continued to live there alone, however, often coming and going at late hours and keeping mainly to himself, Krett said.

“He was really reclusive,” he said. “The grass wasn’t cut, neighbours were complaining and the place seemed to be unkempt.”

Krett said police came to Cheng’s home a few months ago to enforce his eviction. Cheng’s wife called Krett soon after to ask about the eviction; she has also sent him a few emails. She would not tell Krett where she was now living but the last time he spoke to her, she said she was in China.

At the library where Cheng was killed, staff working during the time of the incident will be off with pay until the branch reopens, Toronto Public Library spokeswoman Anne Marie Aikins said Friday. Staff and witnesses have also been offered group and crisis counselling.

Aikins said it is too soon to determine exactly when staff will return to work or when the branch will reopen. She said the police investigation will need to wrap up before cleaning can start.

There were fewer than 10 staff members, including librarians and administrative workers, at the branch at the time, Aikins said.

She said they immediately evacuated staff and the public rather than going into lockdown.

“They got out quickly and safely,” she said.

Aikins would not say whether the branch had security guards or cameras, but said security levels vary by branch size and neighbourhood. She said the branch’s safety protocols will be reviewed.

Vella said police have talked to many witnesses and interviews will continue Friday.

Grief counsellors will likely be sent to the library because of the number of people who witnessed the attack, he said.

“It’s definitely a very unique situation,” said Vella, “a first.”

He said the fact the shooting occurred in such a public place made it of particular concern.

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Cheng was killed inside the library in front of a number of witnesses, including children who were there with their parents. No one else was injured.

Emergency medical services said the man had been shot in the back.

Homicide investigators questioned a number of witnesses. The suspect was held at 55 Division overnight and police were looking through surveillance video from the surrounding area.

Vella was unable to confirm rumours Thursday that the victim had been pepper sprayed before being shot.

Linus Smith, who works at a restaurant across the street from the library, said she saw a middle-aged man with black hair and a dark jacket come out of the library with something in his hand and jump into a U-Haul truck just after 4 p.m. He appeared calm and drove away.

An elderly man was running after the suspect, she said, and wrote down the vehicle’s licence plate.

The suspect was arrested in Scarborough because police “quickly received information, they acted on that information,” said Vella.

Area residents expressed shock over the afternoon shooting.

The Main St. branch is Fran Pougnet’s library, her “little, quiet happy place.” She’s lived just down the street for a year and said she feels safe in the neighbourhood.

“At the library of all places!” she said, surveying the scene from the opposite sidewalk.

Tanya Lazarova was on the phone with her worried daughter about an hour after police arrived. Lazarova has been working at a salon across from the library for six years. “Very scary,” she said.

Jeffrey Smith, who lives in the area and works at a coffee shop across from the library, said he always feels safe walking in the neighbourhood.

“It’s usually quiet,” he said. “I’ve been here for four years, never seen anything like this.”

With files from Cynthia Vukets and Tamara Baluja