Toronto police identify victims in deadly daylight shooting

Toronto police have named a young man who was killed and three others who were wounded in a brazen shooting as cars raced down a residential streeton Saturday afternoon.

Jose Hierro-Saez, 19, was found dead at the scene in the northwestern Rexdale neighbourhood, police said Sunday. He had a gunshot wound to the head, officers said.

They identified the wounded as Paddy McFrinn, 18, Moustaffa Omar, 20, and Matthew Dale, 18.

One of the men was shot in the chest, another in the abdomen and the third in the leg, police said. All three were rushed to hospital.

The four men were in a blue four-door Honda that came under fire from someone in a late-model silver Mercedes-Benz SUV shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday, police said.

As shots rang out, the two vehicles raced for nearly a kilometre along John Garland Boulevard, south of Finch Avenue and west of Martin Grove Road, before the car stopped, witnesses said.

Hierro-Saez was the driver, the police said.

"A shooting in the middle of the day — it's scary," said Supt. Ron Taverner. "It's a total disregard for people. It's lucky no one walking on the street was injured."

The police appealed Sunday for any witnesses to come forward. They said they were also lookingforthe SUV.

Shootings have dropped in 1½ years: chief

Police Chief Bill Blair said,despite the shooting,gun violence has declinedin the city. However he acknowledged"there is still a great deal of work to do."

"We have seen over the course of the last 18 monthsasubstantial decrease in the number of shootings that have taken place in our city and asubstantial decrease in the number of people who have been victimized by shootings," he said on Sunday.

"Unfortunately we have not been able to eliminate that violence."