Targeted victim, bystander murdered at North York bowling alley

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Sudden gunfire outside a North York bowling alley left two people dead, including an innocent bystander, and sent customers fleeing in panic out the back door.

Toronto Police Det. Robert Choe said three men, at least two armed with handguns, targeted 32-year-old Thanh Ttien Ngo, who died at the scene on Saturday night from gunshot wounds.

Ruma Amar, 29, who was leaving the bowling alley with her husband and younger sister, was rushed to a trauma centre where she died early Sunday from gunshot wounds.

The two victims did not know each other, and it’s believed that Amar was an innocent bystander, Choe said.

The suspects fled on Samor Rd., toward Dufferin St., in a dark-coloured vehicle shortly after the 10 p.m. shooting.

Police have descriptions for two men, one wearing a blue-hooded shirt and black shoes and another wearing a black-hooded shirt and black shoes with white soles.

“We’d also be interested in speaking to anybody that would know why Mr. Ngo was targeted,” Choe said.

Ngo had been at the bowling alley that night with at least one friend and was chased down by the shooters after exiting the building, he said.

Suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, Ngo ran back into the crowded bowling alley where his body was discovered.

Choe would not comment on whether the targeted shooting was gang-related or whether Ngo was known to police.

“I can tell you that our female victim has no history with police whatsoever,” he said.

Playtime Bowl customers, many still wearing their bowling shoes that they fled in the night before, described a scene of blood, chaos and panic.

Mike Noel said people initially hesitated in confusion as shouts that there was a gun competed with the sound of music, bowling and chatter.

Then someone, likely management, started yelling for people to head out the back doors of the building.

“Kids and families and people were crying, people were screaming, pushing past one another trying to get out to the back exit,” Noel said. “When people started to process things as to there was something really going wrong, it was pandemonium.”

Noel said people were hiding behind a transformer and cars in the back of the building, trying to find cover in case somebody with a gun came through.

“With everything that’s up in the news in the world, you’re living a situation you see on the news,” he said.

Craig Wallace described seeing a woman who appeared to be badly bleeding being pulled into the bowling lane beside him.

People were knocking chairs over in their panic to escape, he said.

The bowling alley has an arcade at the front of the building, so children were close to where the shots were fired, he said.

“This is pretty scary,” Wallace said.

Like most patrons, Wallace was returning Sunday morning to get the things left behind in the rush, saying he wasn’t even wearing his own jacket.

aartuso@postmedia.com