Security footage released of suspect wanted in realtor’s murder

By News Staff

Toronto police have released security video of a suspect wanted in the murder of real estate broker Simon Giannini.

Giannini, 54, was shot and killed at Michael’s on Simcoe, a restaurant downtown, Saturday night in what police are calling a targeted shooting.

Det. Shannon Dawson said the video, which is a compilation of five different clips, does not show the actual shooting but the events leading up to and shortly after the shooting.

Police said a man in a hoodie and baseball cap entered the high-end restaurant shortly before 9 p.m., went directly to Giannini, who was there dining with a friend, and shot him multiple times.

Giannini was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

In the video, the suspect is then seen entering the front part of the restaurant and having a brief conversation with a staff member before proceeding into the bar area. The video also shows the suspect fleeing the restaurant after the shooting.

Det. Dawson said investigators are hoping the public has information on the suspect’s jacket – which appears to show the letter B on one side of the front of the jacket, and some sort of emblem on the other side.

“When watching this video, it’s very important to note that video distorts colours so when we look at this video it appears that the suspect is in very light coloured clothing,” she explained.

“However, as a result of descriptions provided by witnesses, we know that that clothing is actually dark in colour.”

Police said following the shooting, the suspect fled on foot southbound on Simcoe Street to Pearl Street where he got into the passenger side of a light coloured SUV. The vehicle, which has not yet been recovered, fled westbound on Pearl Street.

The suspect has been described as a black male, with a medium build and between five-foot-seven and five-foot-eleven.

Det. Dawson said they are investigating any possible motive behind the killing but said there’s nothing to indicate that the victim was involved in anything suspicious.

There was another shooting at the same restaurant in 2015, when two masked men shot a man and a woman. Both survived, but suffered serious injuries.


Related stories:

Toronto real estate broker identified as victim of restaurant shooting

Victim laughed at shooter before being shot inside Michael’s on Simcoe


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