Toronto police say they have a new lead in the nearly four-year-old murder of a Scarborough father, identifying the suspected killer by a name he is believed to use and linking him to another shooting months later.
Investigators believe the man wanted in the 2022 killing of 31-year-old Ding Ping Wang goes by the name “Jay,” Det. Sgt. Sajeev Nair said in a news conference Friday.
Investigators also released new security footage they believe shows the same suspect carrying out an attempted murder in the same Scarborough parking lot several months later.
“We believe the suspect was left-handed and had a specific gait when walking,” Nair said, referring to details police released last month.
“That release generated valuable information.”
Wang was shot and killed on Nov. 12, 2022, while sitting inside a vehicle in a plaza parking lot near Midland and Passmore avenues.
Police previously said Wang, a husband and father who owned a kitchen cabinet business, regularly visited the industrial plaza for work.
Investigators do not believe his killing was random, though they have not determined a motive.
The latest development comes about two weeks after police released security footage and an artist’s rendering of the suspect.
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That appeal generated a number of tips, police said, ultimately leading investigators to the name “Jay” and a possible connection to another shooting.
The new footage is from an attempted murder on March 10, 2023, in the same parking lot where Wang was killed.
Police said a person was getting into a white Toyota van when a suspect emerged from a black SUV and fired multiple shots.
“We believe that the male you see in this video is the same suspect involved in the murder of Ding Ping Wang,” Nair said.
Police also believe the suspect had access to a black four-door SUV at the time.
Investigators currently believe the two shootings were separate incidents but are keeping an open mind about whether there could be a connection.
Nair said the link between the cases was only recently established based on information received from the public.
He would not say what specifically led investigators to conclude the same man was involved in both shootings.
Police believe ‘Jay’ is still around
Police have not released a last name for the suspect and are asking anyone who recognizes “Jay,” his movements, associates or the vehicle to contact investigators.
Asked Friday whether investigators believe the suspect is still in the Toronto area or even in Canada, Nair said, “I believe that Jay is around.”
The latest breakthrough follows another development in the cold case earlier this summer.
An eyewitness came forward years after Wang’s death and told investigators about a suspicious man seen at the property the day before the murder.
Police went back through surveillance footage and found a man walking what investigators said was the same route taken by Wang’s killer the following day.
That led police to release the footage and an artist’s rendering on July 28.
Nair said the subsequent media coverage generated significant information from the public, allowing investigators to take another step forward.
Nair also addressed the suspect directly Friday.
“If you’re watching, we know more about you today than we did two weeks ago,” he said. “I told you last time that your world was going to get smaller. Today it’s going to get even smaller.”
Police are asking anyone who can identify “Jay” or has information about either shooting to contact investigators.
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