A man killed in a hit-and-run over the weekend on Danforth Avenue was a child actor who starred in a film that screened at the Toronto International Film Festival more than a decade ago.
Gabriel del Castillo Mullally, 25, was struck by a vehicle near Danforth and Woodbine avenues around 4 a.m. Sunday in an incident police are now investigating as a homicide.
In an emailed statement sent to CTV News Toronto on Monday, filmmakers Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas confirmed that Mullally starred in their 2011 film 'Amy George,' which premiered at TIFF.
According to her IMDb profile, Mullally also starred in the 2013 film 'Tati'.
"We are shocked and devastated by Gabriel's tragic death. Out of respect for the family, we prefer not to say anything at this time," Lewis and Thomas said.
Toronto police earlier said Mullally was at a bar in the area before the hit-and-run.
He was walking along a sidewalk when he was rammed by a vehicle driven by the suspect.
Mullally was taken to St. Michael's Hospital around 4:30 a.m. with life-threatening injuries. He was pronounced dead there a short time later.
Witness Natasha Bilak told CP24 that she heard screams outside her nearby residence just before a pedestrian was struck.
She said that, at the time, there was an altercation between a group of young adults and a man she believes to be in his 20s or 30s.
"There was a dispute that ended with the man getting into his car and deliberately driving [his vehicle] into the crowd of young adults. They were able to get out of the way," Bilak said, adding that the driver made a U-turn on Danforth Avenue and drove into the group a second time.
"He had seen a gap and basically drove up onto the sidewalk [in his vehicle] and hit the man. I've never witnessed anything like that before. It's definitely really scary."
Toronto police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with video of the incident or the area to come forward.