One of the victims of last weekend’s shooting at a downtown Airbnb was a Toronto rap artist who had appeared in music videos with another local rapper who was shot to death in B.C. in December.

Tyronne Noseworthy, 19, who goes by the name fourty4double0 and is one-half of the rap duo Tallup Twinz, was among three men who were killed Friday at a condo being rented on Airbnb at Queens Wharf Road and Fort York Boulevard. Two other men were injured in the shooting, which happened in a unit and spilled into the hallway.

Just over a month ago, rapper Keeshawn Brown, 18, better known as Why-S, was shot dead inside a house in Surrey, B.C., on Dec. 23.

Both Noseworthy and Brown’s music videos, including collaborations between the artists, were posted under the banner of UpTop Movement Inc., a rap collective in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood.

Photos of the rappers standing together can be also found posted to Noseworthy’s Instagram and UpTop’s social media page.

UpTop did not return an email request for comment.

Toronto police have confirmed Noseworthy was among the three men killed in last weekend’s shooting. Police said the shooters are among the dead, but only two of the deaths are considered homicides, the city’s seventh and eighth so far this year.

Const. Alex Li says the third death remains under investigation. Police have said they found two guns at the scene of the shooting.

Jalen Colley, 21, and Joshua Gibson-Skeir, 20, both of Brampton, Ont., were identified as the two others who died.

In a news release issued Monday evening, police said Colley died from a gunshot wound to his throat and Gibson-Skeir died from a gunshot wound to his abdomen. Noseworthy died from a gunshot wound to his head, police said.

A fourth person suffered serious injuries after being shot while a fifth person suffered minor injuries.

Toronto police spokesperson Allison Sparkes said it will take time for police to release more details due to the complexity of the case.

“This is an active and ongoing investigation and due to its complexity, the investigation will include extensive ballistics and forensic testing, video review and witness accounts. We expect to be able to provide an update on the matter in the coming weeks,” Sparkes said.

In Brown’s case, RCMP have said investigators are trying to determine how long Brown had been in B.C. when the shooting occurred and are trying to stitch together a timeline of his activities leading up to his death.

Frank Jang, spokesperson for Surrey RCMP’s homicide unit, said, “We can’t comment on suspects in this case as it’s an active investigation. I can tell you we are pursuing a number of leads and are making progress. If there’s anyone with information still out there, we urge them to contact us.”

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Another Toronto rap artist, 24-year-old Jahquar Stewart, known as Bvlly, was shot and killed in Oshawa on Dec. 24. He appeared on a 2019 mixtape of new tracks featuring up-and-coming Toronto rappers that also featured a song by Tallup Twinz and Why-S.

The UpTop Movement Inc. YouTube page also hosts videos by Liban Randall, widely known by his stage name Robin Banks, who was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition after being shot outside the Cameo Lounge on Steeles Avenue West, near Weston Road, in the early hours of April 4, 2017. Banks survived and continued shooting music videos, including a June 28, 2017 release dubbed “One of Mines” featuring Tallup Twinz.

The UpTop page indicates the music videos, many of which have surpassed one million views, released by the aforementioned artists are licensed to YouTube by TuneCore (on behalf of Uptop Movement Inc.), Create Music Publishing, and 2 Music Rights Societies.

with files from Wendy Gillis, Alex McKeen and The Canadian Press

Jason Miller is a breaking news reporter based in Toronto. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @millermotionpic

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