Sudarsan Velauthapillai, a 23-year-old man, was killed on the night of October 1, 2001, in Etobicoke, Ontario. Although some later compilations list him as 21, Toronto Police Service records identify him as 23. At approximately 9:27 p.m., Velauthapillai and his girlfriend returned from dinner at a nearby restaurant to a residence at 72 Avening Drive, near Midhurst Drive. As he got out of his vehicle, a gunman who was apparently waiting for him opened fire.
Velauthapillai was struck numerous times, while his girlfriend escaped the targeted shooting without being hit. Emergency personnel attempted to save him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators searching the area afterward recovered numerous spent cartridge casings and a distinctive fisherman-style hat with a blue, black and white camouflage pattern. Police believed the hat had fallen from the shooter's head during the attack. The assailant fled the area on foot in a northerly direction and was not apprehended that night. Investigators described the unidentified suspect as a Sri Lankan man with brown skin, of medium height and build, who was approximately 22 to 25 years old at the time. Police later said information gathered during the investigation suggested that the shooter might have been left-handed.
Velauthapillai worked as a courier. Detectives determined that the shooting appeared to have been a deliberate ambush rather than a random encounter. Police also disclosed that one of his close friends had been murdered in Scarborough approximately two weeks earlier. Investigators said Velauthapillai was associated with people involved in Tamil organized crime, although publicly available police information has not established precisely what role those associations played in his death. Historical reporting about Toronto's Tamil gang conflicts further described Velauthapillai as being associated with the Silverspring Boys, a group affiliated with AK Kannan, and reported that he was killed in territory associated with the rival VVT organization.
The investigation produced an important forensic lead several months after the murder. In March 2002, investigators developed a DNA profile that they believe belongs to the killer. Years later, Toronto homicide detectives said the profile did not match anyone then contained in Canada's national DNA data bank. Detectives emphasized that they possessed what they believed was the gunman's DNA but still needed information identifying the person connected to that profile.
In March 2017, Toronto Police renewed their appeal in the cold case, specifically seeking assistance from people who might recognize the circumstances of the killing or know the identity of the gunman. Detective Sergeant Stacy Gallant said investigators were essentially seeking a name that could be compared against the DNA evidence already in their possession. The appeal came more than fifteen years after the shooting and reflected investigators' belief that someone within the community might have information capable of identifying the assailant.
No publicly reported arrest, criminal charge, trial or conviction has been identified in connection with Velauthapillai's murder. Toronto Police continue to list the killing as Homicide #47/2001 and maintain a public appeal for information, indicating that the identity of the person responsible has not been established through an arrest or prosecution. The unidentified gunman and the DNA profile believed to belong to him remain central to the investigation.
