Second victim in fatal Toronto shooting ID'd as beloved father, bartender
'Frank would always say: It's all good. We are saddened to say it's not,' victim's co-workers write
The second victim in a double-homicide near Toronto's Kensington Market has been identified as a beloved father of two and bartender at a pub popular with university students, CBC News has learned.
Einstein Cafe and Pub, located across the street from the University of Toronto, posted on Facebook late Friday night about the loss of Lafrance Lloyd Matthews. Police confirmed Saturday that Matthews, whose first name friends spelled as "Lefranc" on social media, was one of two people killed in Friday's fatal shooting.
Justin Bokma, 42, a former pro skateboarder who had been working as a doorman at a College Street club, also died.
"Frank would always say, 'It's all good.' We are saddened to say, it's not. You will be missed, and never forgotten," the post read.
Knowing Frank, it had almost nothing to do with him.- Longtime friend Abi Roach
'Full of joy and laughter'
Bokma was pronounced dead at the scene, while Matthews was rushed to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries shortly afterward, police said in a statement Saturday.
Tributes for Matthews poured in on social media following the news of his death. Friends remembered the man, affectionally called "Frankie," as personable and generous.
One of those was longtime friend Abi Roach, owner of Kensington's Jamaican café Hotbox, who said Matthews was one of her regulars.
"Knowing Frank, it had almost nothing to do with him. He's not the kind of guy who would have had a fight with someone or raised their voice at someone," Roach said of the violence that erupted at the lounge Friday night.
'Murdered in cold blood'
"He was one of the calmest, most loving human beings; always a huge smile on his face.... even when life got hard, there was always a joke," she added.
On Wednesday, Hotbox will be the site of a memorial in Matthews' honour complete with "traditional drumming and Jamaican nine night singing to celebrate the joy of his life," the café's Facebook event page said. Nine night singing is a Jamaican funeral tradition.
"I know Frank and he would want it to be a celebration of life as opposed to a sad gathering," Roach said.
Roach is also behind a GoFundMe account set up for Matthews' family.
"LeFranc Matthews was murdered in cold blood this morning," the page reads. "He was a loving father and an amazing human being full of joy and laughter."
Matthews loved his two children, a boy and a girl both under 10, "more than anything," Roach said. "He always talked about them."
2 others injured
Two other injured men, aged 35 and 45, made their own way to hospital later Friday. Their injuries are non-life-threatening, police said Saturday.
Police have not yet released any information about the suspects in the shooting. It's unclear if any of the victims or suspects knew one another.
Homicide Det. Shawn Mahoney said that it's too early for suspect descriptions, but he believes investigators are looking for two to three armed men who fled the scene on foot and urged any witnesses to come forward.
College Street at Augusta Avenue was closed throughout Friday to conduct interviews and gather evidence.
With files from Laura Fraser