The Toronto police homicide squad is investigating the shooting death of a young man who was found in a hydro field in the city's north-west end late Sunday afternoon.
Police believe Nerio Valdez, 17, was targeted by up to four suspects who trapped him on a pathway in a hydro field in the Provence Trail and Cabernet Circle area near Martin Grove Road and Steeles Avenue.
A group of people out for a hike found his body on a pathway in a wooded area of the field Sunday afternoon at around 5 p.m. But police believe Valdez may have been shot Thursday, July 30 at around 11 p.m.
The teen -- a Toronto resident -- suffered from multiple gunshot wounds homicide Det. John Biggerstaff told reporters at a news conference on Monday.
An autopsy will be performed this week to determine an exact cause of death. Valdez is Toronto's 33rd homicide victim of 2009.
Biggerstaff said that residents of the area heard the sound of gunshots Thursday evening but didn't report it to police because they believed the loud sound was fireworks.
The part of the field where Valdez was found is completely hidden from the view of neighbouring homes, he said, which means that nobody would have known someone was in distress unless they were taking a walk through the brush.
Biggerstaff said authorities are speaking to witnesses and reviewing video footage from surveillance cameras that were installed in an adjacent industrial zone. Detectives believe between two and four people were involved in the crime and used a black vehicle to flee from the scene of the murder.
Investigators are asking anyone with information to call the homicide squad at 416-808-7400. Anonymous tips can also be left with Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS.
