Canada - Zaher 'Zack' Noureddine, 25, slain in robbery, Toronto, 30 Dec 2015

Police say they now believe the homicide is related to a robbery.

The three suspects, who were reportedly wearing dark clothing, were last seen fleeing the area in a light-coloured sedan.

Investigators would not say if the incident is connected to an assault that took place down the road near Bayview and Hillsdale avenues. The victim in this case sustained minor injuries.

Police are asking businesses in the area with surveillance cameras to contact them.

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A man has died following a violent robbery last night outside a restaurant on Yonge Street at Lola Road.

The incident happened just after midnight outside the St. Louis Bar and Grill at 2050 Yonge St., just south of Eglinton Avenue.

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Tawny said:

I honestly hope it's connected to the other minor assault so that victim can identify the assailants.

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Incident on Bayview Ave., police seek surveillance video
December 30, 2015

Officers from 53 Division were canvassing the Bayview Ave. business district Wednesday asking if stores had video surveillance of the street. They were looking for leads into an assault at Bayview and Hillsdale Ave. early Wednesday.

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"I believe it was a very brazen robbery," Toronto Police Det. Jeff Allington told reporters at the scene, adding that officers don't believe any weapons were used in the fatal attack.

"I would certainly say that he was targeted and the people that robbed him chose him over any other number of people walking down the road."

However, Allington said he didn't believe Noureddine was followed, and that the attack seemed to be random and unprovoked.

"I don't believe he fought back… I don't believe the victim put up any resistance at all"

A friend of the victim described the man as "expressive" and "truthful."

The friend, who identified himself as Scott, said Nourredine worked as a salesperson and a journalist.

"He was very informed, very conscientious, soulful type of individual... We lost a really good friend, a son, a brother. He'll be missed a lot."

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Police are also probing a second robbery in the area that took place shortly before the one that claimed Noureddine’s life.

“We believe that they are linked,

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We still consider it a safe city and we just encourage you to be aware of your surroundings and what’s going on,” Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook told CTV News on Thursday. “Be with a friend if you can. If you are going to be out late drinking, just don’t do it by yourself.”

A 21-year-old man has been charged with both attacks on Dec. 15, however police are continuing to look for suspects in connection with Wednesday’s homicide.

Speaking at Toronto police headquarters on College Street, Douglas-Cook said the message to those ringing in 2016 and those simply making their way around the city in the coming days is simple.

“Just trust your instincts,” she said.

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Zaher "Zack" Noureddine stares into the camera and says he doesn't want people to put him in any categories.

"I don't want any label," he said in the 2014 YouTube video. "I'm an artist by nature. And I just happen to be a journalist and photojournalist by trade."
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"From the beginning, I always thought he was a really kind and hardworking guy. He was very professional. He impressed right off the bat with his writing skills," [HipHopCanada editor-in-chief Jesse] Plunkett said Thursday.

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Noureddine frequently posted his photography to Instagram, including many photos from hip-hop shows and from Lebanon, where he also briefly worked as a journalist.

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Although no official cause of death has been released, Noureddine's family told CBC News he had suffered a blow to the back of his head near his spinal cord and died from bleeding in his brain.

He was kept on life-support at a Toronto hospital until his family could arrive from Ottawa.

Doctors were able to find recipients for his liver, kidneys, and other organs, Hassan Noureddine said Saturday.

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"He was always someone who always created his own path. He never took the path someone else took. He always wanted to make his own success story," he told CBC News on Saturday.

"I think that was something that was really special. It made him different from everybody else. It made him unique, and that's why everybody loved him.

Noureddine's funeral is scheduled for Monday morning in Ottawa.

"It was a short life," said Russell Noureddine. "But it was an awesome life."

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Working with witnesses and businesses that have closed circuit video security networks, police have already arrested two men believed to have been involved in the incident. On Apr. 13, William Lordhu Cummins, 29, and Patrick Smith, 26, both of Toronto, were arrested. The two face charges including second degree murder and robbery.

Matthew Moreira, 31, of Toronto, was taken into custody on Wednesday. He faces charges including second-degree murder and robbery. He was scheduled to make a brief appearance in a Toronto courtroom earlier this week.

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A trio of men face first-degree murder charges on Sept. 10 in the Dec. 30, 2015 beating death of music journalist and photographer Zaher “Zack” Noureddine, 25, outside a Yonge Street bar in midtown Toronto.

Police allege Noureddine was a victim of a brazen robbery.

The accused murderers, Matthew Moreira, 33, William Cummins, 31, and Patrick Smith, 28, also face charges of assault with intent to rob.

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