Shooting victim Naveed Shahnawaz remembered as a fighter and a gentleman

Shahnawaz, who died Friday after being shot outside a nightclub on the CNE grounds last Sunday, had a “big heart” and “was such a respectful kid,” says his coach.

COURTESY TORONTO POLICE Naveed Shahnawaz, 19, was shot last Sunday outside a nightclub on the CNE grounds. He died in hospital early Friday morning.  

Inside the boxing ring, 19-year-old Naveed Shahnawaz was a force to be reckoned with. He was light on his toes, his jabs strong and quick.

But when the gloves came off, his coaches recall, Shahnawaz was a different character — a gentleman, a friend.

“Everyone loved him,” said his coach, Mike Di Florio. “He had such a big heart, he was such a respectful kid.”

So when Di Florio heard the news Friday that Shahnawaz had died in hospital after being shot outside a nightclub last Sunday, he was devastated.

“My body is still shaking. He was like a son to me.”

Shahnawaz was outside a nightclub at Exhibition Place last Sunday around 2:30 a.m. when a fight broke out in the parking lot. One man pulled a gun, firing a round of bullets into the crowd. Two men, Shahnawaz and a 23-year-old, were hit.

Paramedics rushed Shahnawaz to hospital with life-threatening injuries. After five days in the critical care unit, he succumbed to his injuries early Friday morning.

Shahnawaz is Toronto’s newest young victim of gun violence. His death comes just days after 15-year-old St. Aubyn Rodney was shot and killed inside his home near Jane St. and Finch Ave.

Di Florio had known Shahnawaz since the day he tentatively walked into the gym, curious about boxing, at the age of 10. As he entered his teen years, the curiosity became his passion. He trained with Di Florio three times a week at the Bramlea Boxing Club in Brampton.

Though he had only nine bouts under his belt, Shahnawaz knew how to fight with heart.

“He was a novice, but he looked like an open class fighter,” Di Florio said. “He was a formidable boxer for the number of fights he had.”

According to the president of the boxing club, Peter Sjouwerman, the only thing holding Shahnawaz back was his gentle nature.

“He might not have lost any fights if he’d had more of a killer instinct,” Sjouwerman said.

While the homicide unit has taken over the case, the Special Investigations Unit has been called in to investigate why police officers opened fire on a car fleeing from the scene.

When police arrived at the parking lot on the CNE grounds, they spotted a Honda Accord peeling out of the parking lot. Officers fired shots at the car, which eventually stopped in a snow bank near one of the park gates. Two men, aged 18 and 19, suffered gunshot wounds and were rushed to St. Michael’s Hospital.

The SIU is now looking into the police gunfire.

“This is very complex. There are a lot of people involved and we will be gaining further information,” said SIU investigator Derrick Wide.

Toronto Police have arrested three men in connection with Sunday’s fatal shooting. Tony Hoang Dinh, 18, of Toronto, faces 11 charges including two counts of attempted murder with a firearm. He is now scheduled to return to court on Thursday.

Jonathan Kwok-Ho Lau, 19, of Toronto is charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, assault with a weapon and breach of recognizance.

Hoan Nguyen, 26, of Toronto is charged with assault.

Police could not confirm whether the three suspects were the same men who were shot by police