James OToole Tribute

The victim in the Commercial Drive shooting is being remembered as a talented singer and songwriter with a promising future in music.

James Edward O'Toole, 29, a musician who performed under the name Jed Cruz, was gunned down Saturday at 1 a.m. in the 1700-block of Commercial Drive. He was getting into a taxi as he was shot.

Witnesses near the scene reported that an older-model silver Mazda MPV minivan fled the scene immediately after the shooting.

Vancouver Police spokeswoman Const. Jana McGuinness confirmed that O'Toole is known to police, but said she couldn't confirm whether the shooting was gang-related or whether police have arrested anyone in connection with the case.

Vancouver producer Chin Injeti, who met O'Toole through music circles and saw him at gigs in the city, said the musician was "passionate about his art and was destined for great things musically.

"But I don't know anything about the crowd he was involved with," he added.

O'Toole, who was raised in Vancouver and lived here at the time of his death, recently lived in Melbourne, Australia, where he fronted and wrote the songs for a band called Napoleon.