The man shot and killed in an altercation with Toronto police early Wednesday was a father and an aspiring rapper, according to friends and family.

Officials have not released the name of the man fatally shot not long after a Scarborough TTC collector was robbed at gunpoint, but grieving relatives and friends have identified him as 33-year-old Daniel Clause.

Neighbours say he was a resident of a Warden Ave. Toronto Community Housing building close to where the fatal shooting occurred.

Online, friends are expressing their shock and sadness at his death, saying Clause was a talented rapper — he performed in rap battles under the name D Tha Suspect — and a father to four children.

“As kids growing up there’s a lot of fun memories,” Aprile Clause, Daniel’s cousin, told the Star.

“He treated me like a sister for so many years,” said Amanda Howell, a longtime friend. “He always cheered me up when I was down . . . He loved his kids and I feel so sorry that his kids will no longer have their dad.”

Neighbours in the Warden Ave. building, however, say Clause faced numerous struggles, including substance abuse issues. Next-door neighbour Fred Young said he met him a few years ago while they were at the Seaton House men’s shelter on George St. in downtown Toronto.

Young said Clause had “a heart of gold,” but also personal problems.

Others in the building described him as someone who asked for cigarettes or money. One said the man recently got a turkey from the food bank, and had asked for help cooking it.

The fatal shooting occurred in the early hours of the last day of the year, following an armed robbery at a Scarborough TTC subway station. At 12:16 a.m., police received a call from a TTC collector, who pushed an emergency alarm button alerting them to a robbery at the collector’s booth.

At gunpoint, the TTC collector handed over a small amount of cash and the man fled. The collector was not injured.

Police soon began a search of the Warden Ave. and St. Clair Ave. E. area, including the Toronto Community Housing building at 682 Warden, just south of the station. Officers found a man matching the description of the alleged robber outside.

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What followed was a fatal “interaction” with police, according to Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, now investigating the death.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 ext. 1957 or at 416-622-1957.