A man is dead following a shooting in the area of Larchmere Ave., west of Islington in the city’s northwest corner.

Paramedics called to the scene at about 4:50 p.m. Tuesday found the victim, who has not been identified, on the ground with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A black car was seen leaving the area, but there is no information on suspects, police said.

Police taped off large parts of the neighbourhood, telling residents to stay in their homes. Those outside the perimeter during the shooting were not allowed to return. One man, who identified himself as Rob, said he lived a few houses down from the scene.

“I'm freaked out, my kids are freaked out,” he said.

A few hours after the shooting a woman came down Vanhill Ave., screaming “It’s not real … where is he?” The woman walked into the police perimeter, then bent down and started crying as police approached her.

Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, who showed up at the scene in the evening, claimed the incident was part of a turf war, noting that shots rang out in the same area recently. He added incidents like these highlighted for him why he believes random street checks, also known as carding, should be allowed.

“It’s only going to get worse,” he said. “It’s drug dealers that are terrorizing our communities.”

Mammoliti also suggested getting the Canadian Armed Forces involved.

“We have a well-established federal reserve, an army perhaps. They can come and help the police in these circumstances,” he said.

Mammoliti said it was unusual for the quiet neighbourhood to host a crime scene, but expressed his belief it was activity spilling over from two large housing projects nearby.

A woman at a small house just north of the shooting site said she knew the victim and disagreed with that analysis. "He's not involved. This has nothing to do with a turf war. He is an innocent man who got shot for no reason."

Umberto Defrancesco, a resident on Vanhill Ave., said he had spoken to the victim just minutes before he was shot. Defrancesco said he was washing his driveway before greeting the victim as he walked by.

“We usually say hello every time I see this guy; for me he was a nice guy,” he said.

The victim continued walking, and four minutes later, Defrancesco said, he heard six shots. He said he saw car accelerate around the corner immediately after.

“You see a guy every day and then you see him (all of a sudden) he gets shot. I wish these things didn’t happen,” Defrancesco said.

"All the time, it's happening... there's nothing we can do. It happens everywhere," said Azad Pedros, a resident in the neighbourhood and whose home was behind the tape where the incident occurred.

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

A woman who said she knew the victim said he had children. She stood in a driveway on Vanhill Ave. next to two men, one of whom she said was the victim’s brother. Tear stains marked the other man's cheeks.

Police continue to investigate the incident.