Tariq Mohammed slain in Garden Restaurant shooting, police say

The food was still on the tables and the shell casings still on the floor as Toronto police combed through a downtown restaurant on Sunday morning, hours after a shooting left one man dead and two women injured.

Gunfire erupted insideGarden Restaurant at Chestnut and Dundas streets ataround 4 a.m. ET, according to police.

In the early afternoon, police identified the victim as Tariq Mohammed, a 31-year-old man from Mississauga. He was not known to police.

Earlier in the day, Det.-Sgt. Gary Giroux said that a group of around sixpeople were sitting at a table when an altercation broke out involving a man and a woman at that table and a handful of men in the restaurant.

Things escalated and at least one of the men pulled out a firearm.

"One individual starts to fire the weapon inside the restaurant,"Giroux told reporters on Sunday morning.

He said two women at the table were each struck by a single shot, while Mohammed was shot "numerous times at close range."

Many witnesses talking

The people who were shot had been to theMuzik nightclub on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds earlier in the evening, butGiroux said it seems that may not have been a factor in the shooting.

"It would appear that whatever happened, happened here and it happened quickly," said Giroux.

Giroux believes at least 30 people were in the restaurant at the time of the shooting.

The two female victims are both in their 20s, paramedics said. One was shot in the chest, the other in the abdomen. Their injuries are described as non-life threatening.

Giroux said police have spoken to at least 20 witnesses.

"Rarely do I have to call five other divisionsto get assistance to come down and help us triage the witnesses in lieu of taking hours and hours to interview them, so that's really encouraging," he said.

Yvonne Gauthier lives nearby and heard the shots.

"It's a scary reality that people are dying and people are killing, which I think is the most scary thing,"she told CBC News in an interview on Sunday.

Looking for suspects

On Sunday afternoon, police released a description of the two suspects.

Police say "the shooter" is a black man with a dark complexion and a lanky build, around 5'10" to 5'11" tall. He wore a black hoodie and a black toque. The suspect is believed to be 20 to 30 years old.

The second suspect is believed to be the same age. Police say he is black, has a dark complexion and a stocky build, shorter than the man who fired the shots, and wears cornrows to his neck. He wore a dark hoodie with a logo or some type of writing on the front. He is described as having "bulging" eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 416-808-7400, extension 77387. Tips can be passed on anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477.