Canadian Rapper Houdini Shot And Killed In Toronto

The man killed in a daylight shooting in Toronto’s entertainment district has been identified by police and on social media as the up-and-coming rapper Houdini.

Dimarjio Jenkins, 21, was shot in the area of King Street West and Peter Street on Tuesday afternoon. A boy, 15, and a woman, 27, were also injured in the shooting, which police have characterized as a targeted attack.

News of Jenkins’s death set off a wave of tributes from prominent musicians, including the rappers Tory Lanez and Meek Mill.

Jenkins was considered a rising star in Toronto’s rap scene. His songs were streamed nearly 20 million times on Spotify in 2019.

The Toronto police homicide team is investigating the shooting.

Investigators said on Tuesday that a blue vehicle was seen waiting at the scene for about 40 minutes before Houdini arrived in another vehicle.

Police say an occupant in the blue vehicle chased down Jenkins and the 15-year-old boy while shooting at them. The woman injured in the shooting is believed to have been an innocent bystander, police said.

Police chief Mark Saunders described the killing as “very solvable,” due in part to the busy area in which it took place. Police also recovered a gun at the scene. No arrests or suspect information has been announced so far.

“The bottom line is, there’s a lot of evidence that we have gleaned so far,” Saunders said on Tuesday. “We know we are getting more evidence, particularly by way of video.”

Jenkins grew up near Jane Street and Driftwood Avenue but more recently moved to Brampton with his family.

His latest project, a mixtape titled underGROUND, was released on March 18. The cover art features the top of the CN Tower sticking out from a sandy desert, an apparent homage to The Planet of the Apes.

Jenkins is one of several Toronto rappers to have been killed within the last two years.