York Regional Police say a man is dead and a woman is injured after a “targeted” shooting outside a Newmarket short-term rental home Friday night.
Police said officers responded to reports of gunshots on Colter Street in the area of Yonge Street and Mulock Drive around 9 p.m.
Const. Andy Pattenden told reporters two male suspects exited a dark sedan before shooting the two victims outside a home in the area.
The suspects then got back into the vehicle and fled, Pattenden said.
Emergency crews later transported both victims to hospital.
Officials said the 26-year-old man was pronounced dead, while the 23-year-old woman’s injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening. The man has since been identified as DeShane Taylor, of Toronto.
Images from the scene show a white SUV with numerous bullet holes in it outside a home on Colter Street.
Pattenden said the victims, both of whom are from Toronto, had rented the home through Airbnb. It is unclear how long they were in the home for prior to the shooting.
In a statement to Global News Saturday, Airbnb said the booking guest has since been removed from its site.
“The senseless violence reported is abhorrent and has no place in the Airbnb community, and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted by this incident,” the statement read.
“We stand ready to support York Regional Police in their investigation.”
Neighbours who spoke to Global News said there have been relatively few disturbances at the home before, other than a party on Labour Day weekend.
Pattenden said while it’s believed the shooting was targeted, there is no word on whether it was gang-related.
Investigators are appealing for any witnesses who were in the area around the time of the shooting to contact them.
Pattenden said officers are specifically looking to speak to the occupants of a vehicle that was travelling in the opposite direction of the suspect vehicle at the time of the shooting.
“It’s shocking, it’s disturbing and it’s something we should all be concerned about as a society, not just a neighbourhood,” said Jeff Anthony, who has lived in the area for approximately 15 years.
“This kind of violence is unheard of around here.”