Police are still searching for suspects in a shooting that left one man dead late Saturday, after an apartment on Chemin du Lac turned out to be empty.

Longueuil police received several calls from neighbours reporting gunshots at around 11:30 p.m. from the building at 859 Chemin du Lac in the Old Longueuil district.

When officers arrived, they found a 21-year-old man on the grass in front of the building. He was critically wounded by a shot that had struck his abdomen.

"At that point, we were fearing for his life, and unfortunately the young man died at the hospital a little bit later during the evening," said Const. Mark David of the Longueuil police.

The 16-unit building and some neighbouring residences were evacuated and a provincial police tactical team called over fears armed suspects may still be inside the apartment.

Police finally got a warrant to enter the building just after 10:30 a.m. Sunday and found it empty, David said.

They allowed some residents back into their homes, but continued to block access to the apartment building as crime scene technicians went to work looking for evidence.

The victim, a resident of Longueuil, had no criminal record, David said.

The investigation has now been handed over to the major crimes unit and the search for suspects expanded beyond Chemin du Lac.

"The investigation is still very young," David said. "It's a priority case right now for us."