Moments before a prominent Toronto real estate agent was gunned down inside an upscale downtown restaurant, he was laughing.Michael Dabic, owner of Michael’s on Simcoe St., said his daughter was about three metres away Saturday night when the gunman unleashed bullets in the crowded dining room, killing 54-year-old Simon Giannini.“We have video footage of everything,” Dabic said. The suspect strode into Michael’s just before 9 p.m., wearing a hoodie, track pants and a baseball cap. Dabic said the restaurant’s manager asked the man if he could help him, as his attire didn’t match that of their usual clientele. “We have a dress code,” Dabic said. “So a guy wearing a hoodie and a cap, it’s like, you’re not getting in.”Dabic said the shooter told his manager he was there “looking for a friend.” When the manager confronted him again, the man bolted towards Giannini’s table, Dabic said.Dabic’s daughter, 26, was about three metres away when the gunman started shooting. She works at the restaurant full-time, he said. The shooter fled amid the chaos, driving west along Pearl St. in a white SUV. Giannini, meanwhile, died in hospital, becoming Toronto’s 41st homicide victim of 2017. Eyewitness James Fong told the Star he heard four or five shots altogether and a thud, as if someone had fallen. He and other diners crouched under their tables to shield themselves from the spray of bullets. On Monday, used wine glasses and unfinished plates from panicked customers could still be seen on tables inside Michaels.The whole thing lasted less than 20 seconds, Dabic said. “The blessing in this is that no one else was hurt.” Dabic said Giannini’s table was closer to the restaurant’s exit. However, Dabic also said roughly 140 people were inside at the time, and he believes one of them must have directed the gunman to Giannini’s table. ...
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