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Toronto 2AMer.

A man in his 20s is in critical condition following a shooting outside a strip club in Etobicoke early Tuesday morning.

The man was shot shortly before 3 a.m. outside of the House of Lancaster Gentlemen’s Club on Penhurst Avenue, near The Queensway and Royal York Road.

Toronto police said the 24-year-old victim was shot in the head and leg, and had to be rushed to hospital. They have not yet determined whether he was attending an event at the strip club.

Four paid-duty police officers were acting as security at the event at the club overnight. They'd been hired to keep watch because of a number of shootings in the area in the past, including a report of shots fired on Aug. 26.

Police told CTV Toronto that they had to restrain some of the victim's friends, who will be interviewed by investigators. They are looking for witnesses who fled the area after the shooting, and have not released a description of a potential suspect or suspects.

Penhurst Avenue was closed on Tuesday morning between The Queensway and Dalesford Road as police investigated. Shell casings from a semi-automatic pistol were found in the area, police said.