The mother of one of the young men who was fatally shot at a downtown condo unit rented out on Airbnb last week says her son was more than the crime he is now associated with.

“Jalen was a beautiful soul whose life was cut short,” Jalen Colley’s mother wrote in a statement to CTV News Toronto Monday. “He had a good heart, and his personality touched everyone around him. He was funny, down to earth, easy, humorous and kind. He would do anything for anybody; he was good.

“He may have died in a crime that looks very bad, but he is not that crime, and he was not in that kind of life.”

While she didn’t want to be identified herself, Colley’s mother said her son worked as a forklift operator, and dreamed of becoming a radiologist.

Colley was celebrating his upcoming birthday at 85 Queens Wharf Rd., located near Lake Shore Boulevard and Bathurst Street, on Jan. 31.

It was shortly before 10:30 p.m. when gunfire rang out at the 32nd floor unit and in the adjacent hallway.

Four people were injured by gunfire. Two people were declared dead at the scene. Another person was rushed to hospital, but died of his injuries. A fourth person was taken to hospital with serious injuries. A fifth person was treated at the scene.

The three men who died have been identified by police as 21-year-old Jalen Colley of Brampton, 20-year-old Joshua Gibson-Skeir of Brampton and 19-year-old Tyronne Noseworthy of Toronto.

On Monday, police released more details about their investigation into the triple shooting.

In a statement, police said autopsies have confirmed that all three men died of fatal gunshot wounds. Colley was shot in the throat, Gibson-Skeir was shot in the abdomen and Noseworthy was shot in the head.

Police Chief Mark Saunders told CP24 Monday that investigators are “methodically” assembling evidence – including forensics, ballistics and witness accounts – to try to determine exactly what happened. However he said the investigation is “complex.”

“Even though the shooting was for the most part restricted in that particular area on the 32nd floor, we still had evidence that went on a couple of different floors because people were going different places,” Saunders said. “As a homicide investigator, you have to be so thorough. You don’t want to race to the finish line too soon.”

He said there are still “many questions that need to be answered.”

Investigators have said that two weapons related to the shooting were recovered from the scene.

Police have also said that those who fired the shots are among the dead and that they are not looking for any further suspects. However it remains unclear exactly who shot who.

In her statement Monday, Jalen Colley’s mother called the manner of her son’s death “sad” and said she never thought something like this would happen to her family.

“It is sad that this is how my son went, because I know the public will judge him,” she wrote. “At the end of the day we only serve one judge, and he is now with that judge. We are a family who has good morals and values and we never thought this could happen to us. He will always be with us in spirit.”

The shooting has also raised questions around the issue of so-called “ghost hotels,” condo units perpetually rented out through Airbnb where the owners have little oversight over the activities that occur at their properties.

Saunders said that while it is up to the city to create rules around short-term rental properties, the issue is on his radar as a safety matter.

“This started off as a birthday party. I’ve got people that are now dead as a result of it and it certainly isn’t the last Airbnb that I can recall where outcomes like this have happened,” he said.

Airbnb has said that they are supporting the police investigation and that the company has “zero tolerance for this type of behaviour.”