A 50-year-old man who died after he was found on the side of the road in Markham Monday was the victim of a violent armed carjacking, a police source told Global News.
York Regional Police responded to a report of an injured man on the side of Old Kennedy Road north of Steeles Avenue East around 5:40 a.m. The man was transported to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Witnesses believed the victim had been struck by a car, but Const. Andy Pattenden said police quickly determined a weapon was involved in the man’s death.
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A police source close to the investigation told Global News the incident started at a strip mall near Finch and Midland Avenues, where two men were carjacked at gunpoint.
The suspects allegedly shot the man several times and drove him in the stolen car to where his body was found on the roadside.
The source said the suspects then drove the stolen vehicle to a parking lot near Don Mills Road and Steeles Avenue East where it was set on fire.
The Ontario Fire Marshal is now investigating and the police source said two suspects are still at large.
Investigators are asking anyone with information or video footage from dash cams or surveillance cameras to come forward.