Police seek information from woman in murder at recording studio.
Police have released this surveillance camera image of woman they consider a "person of interest" in connection with the shooting death of Anthony Spencer, 23, on Jan. 21.
Photo/TORONTO POLICE SERVICE
Police are appealing for help in identifying a female "person of interest" in connection with the murder of aspiring hip-hop artist Anthony Spencer.
Spencer, 23, was gunned down at close range while recording music with friends in a basement studio at 799 Brimley Rd. in the early morning hours of Jan. 21.
Police allege two men and a woman are seen on surveillance video getting out of a cab and walking down the stairs to the recording studio at 12:42 a.m. About an hour later, the woman is seen walking up the stairs to use her cellphone; she then returns to the recording studio.
At 2:27 a.m., the woman comes out of the studio again and stands at the top of the steps.
At 4:32 a.m., the woman called a taxi company to order a cab to a nearby convenience store. In the audio recording of the call, a single gunshot is heard. Police believe that that shot killed Spencer.
The two men and the woman later leave in a cab.
At a news conference at police headquarters Tuesday, police released surveillance camera images of the female person of interest along with an audio recording of her call to the taxi company. She is five-feet tall, about 100 pounds with a light black complexion, black hair in a pony tail and a slim build.
"The homicide squad is interested in identifying this female, who is definitely a person of interest. She is present and in the company with the offenders," Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux said. "My advice to this young woman is to seek some legal advice that she trusts and come forward."
Giroux said two persons of interest in the murder have been arrested on unrelated offences. The pair remain in custody.
Supt. Kathryn Martin of 42 Division urged witnesses to come forward.
"We can put together circumstantial cases but there are gaping holes where eyewitness testimony is needed," she said.
Police have linked Spencer's murder to three drive-by shootings in Scarborough on the weekend.
No one was hurt in the weekend shootings. The first happened Friday evening when a home on Wickson Trail was shot at.
At about 6:35 p.m. Saturday, shots were fired into a vehicle and a home on Livonia Place. Five minutes later, a bullet was fired into another home on Wickson.
Spencer is the city's fourth murder victim of the year.
Anyone with information is asked to call Giroux at 416-318-2122 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).