Murder victim Andrew Surage. (Facebook photo)
TORONTO - Andrew Surage, who lost his life during an apparent robbery on Sunday, is being remembered by friends and co-workers as a “dedicated father and husband” who was “always happy.”
“He was the kind of guy who could brighten up any room, any day, at any time when he walked in,” Surage’s boss, Doug Watson, said on Monday. “He loved life, he had fun in everything he did. We’re all going to miss that very much.”
Surage, 47, had worked as senior route manager for Interstate Batteries in Brampton for the past 10 years. Watson, an operations manager with the company, knew him as both a co-worker and a friend.
Surage was killed after being shot multiple times outside an after-hours club around 5:45 a.m. Sunday.
Toronto Police Det.-Sgt. Graham Gibson has said the victim was with his friends at The Captain’s Social Club. He was shot while leaving.
“It appears that there might have been a robbery as they exited the place and a brief struggle,” Gibson told reporters at the scene on Sunday.
Originally from St. Lucia, Surage came to Canada as a young adult, eventually becoming a Canadian citizen. He leaves behind a wife and three children, including a son around six, Watson said.
Another co-worker, Joe Kiss, said he knew Surage for eight years. They became good friends, he said, exchanging texts after work and on weekends.
Surage was no trouble maker, simply someone who “always went out to do fun things,” Kiss said.
“I’ve gone on vacation with him before, we all went to San Francisco back in April, guy’s just a lot of fun,” he said.
Both Watson and Kiss described Surage as the kind of man who would stand up for a friend.
Police have said they’re looking for a suspect described as a white man with average build, wearing a light jacket with dark arms, a dark ball cap, dark pants, and dark shoes.
“I do hope the person that did this comes forward and finds resolution to what they’ve done,” Watson said.
Police are urging witnesses to contact them by calling 416-808-7400 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).