A man was shot dead with a crossbow inside a library bustling with children and their parents in broad daylight on Thursday.

Police had a man in his 30s in custody shortly after the incident, at the Main St. library, said Const. Tony Vella. The suspect was arrested in Scarborough.

The victim had not yet been identified Thursday evening and police said they were still searching for a motive in the bizarre killing.

“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.

The victim was killed inside the library, near Gerrard St. E., in front of a number of witnesses, including children who were at the library with their parents. No one else was injured.

Emergency medical services told the Star the victim had been shot in the back.

“There were a lot of people in the immediate area,” said Vella.

Homicide investigators questioned a number of witnesses at several nearby police stations. The suspect was being held at 55 Division and police were looking through surveillance video from the surrounding area Thursday evening.

Vella was unable to confirm rumours 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, she said, 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. He added police were not yet looking for any other suspects, but were focused on learning more about the reason behind the brazen attack.

“The motivation is still unclear at this point,” Vella said.

Residents in the area 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, while surveying the scene from the opposite sidewalk.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Tanya Lazarova was on the phone with her worried daughter about an hour after police arrived. Lazarova has been working at a salon directly 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.”