A Canadian “skateboard legend” was one of two people killed in a shooting at an after-hours club near Toronto’s Kensington Market, friends and family say.
Friends who spoke to Global News and a Facebook post by a family member identified the deceased as Justin Bokma, who one outlet for the sport called a “skateboard legend” and “pioneer in Canadian skateboarding” known for his stylish tricks.
Bokma graced the cover of a 1996 issue of international boarding magazine TransWorld SKATEboarding, doing a backside lipslide trick at a famous San Francisco skateboarding spot.
Acquaintances of Bokma, 42, said he was working as a doorman at the after-hours bar.
The second victim has been identified as LeFranc Matthews by his friend Abi Roach.
“He was truly a beacon of light as to what a good human being should be. Calm and full of love of life,” Roach said.
A nearby pub where LeFranc, 41, worked posted a Facebook tribute to him late Friday.
Homicide squad Det. Shawn Mahoney said police are looking for two to three men armed with firearms after shots rang out around 5 a.m. Friday at the illegal “cash only” club in an upper-level unit on College Street near Augusta Avenue.
He said there were at least 30 people inside at the time, with at least three hit by gunfire.
Police confirmed the names of the deceased Saturday and said both men were shot in the second-floor club. Bokma died at the scene while LeFranc was declared dead in hospital. Two other men suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting and took themselves to hospital.
“We’re still trying to figure out how many firearms were involved, how many opened fire,” Mahoney told reporters on Friday.
READ MORE: Tory announces gun violence response program to ‘heal’ communities hit by crime
There’s no description of suspects yet but police are looking to review any surveillance footage and determine if the shooters fled in a vehicle.
The double shooting is the city’s 34th homicide this year, and the now-22nd and 23rd gun deaths are more than double compared to the number this time in 2015.
With files from Peter Kim
Comments