Toronto police have confirmed that Ioannis Kyriakopoulos, the 64-year-old man who was fatally shot in southwest Scarborough over the weekend, was involved in organized crime. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) previously implicated Kyriakopoulos in a major illegal gambling and bookmaking ring, which was dismantled last year after a two-year investigation.

Kyriakopoulos, who was arrested in April 2023, was one of 16 individuals charged following a series of raids in Toronto and Vaughan. According to the RCMP, he played a “prominent” role in the criminal organization, facing charges that included participating in and instructing criminal activities related to illegal gambling operations.

Late Friday night, Toronto police responded to reports of gunshots on Landry Avenue in the Oakridge neighborhood, near Danforth Avenue and Danforth Road. Officers found Kyriakopoulos shot in front of a home and, despite attempts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detective Sergeant Aaron Akeson revealed that authorities are searching for at least three suspects who fled the scene in a dark-colored SUV. Two of these suspects were observed on foot in the area before escaping. While the exact motive for the shooting remains unclear, police believe it was not a random attack and are dedicating significant resources to locating the suspects.

Kyriakopoulos’s death marks Toronto’s 56th homicide of the year. The investigation is ongoing, and police are urging anyone with information to come forward.