An 11-year-old Toronto boy who died early Sunday was caught in the crossfire of a gang shooting, police said.

The boy, Ephraim Brown, was hit by a stray bullet when two unnamed rival groups started shooting at each other near a house that was hosting a birthday party, Toronto police Chief Bill Blair said Sunday at a news conference.

Ephraim Brown, 11, died Sunday after he was caught in the crossfire of a gang shooting in northwest Toronto.
(Toronto Police Services)

Brown died at the scene shortly after police responded to a call in the northwest end of Toronto near Sheppard Avenue and Jane Street at 1 a.m. on Sunday.

A 21-year-old man was also injured in the same shooting incident. He was treated for a gunshot wound to the leg, but police said he would not co-operate with them. He is not a suspect, police said.

The shooting was one of three that occurred overnight.

Another man died of wounds suffered in a downtown shooting at an apartment near Bloor and Parliament streets shortly after 2 a.m.

Elsewhere, shots were fired in the city's entertainment district at the corner of Adelaide and Duncan streets around 1 a.m. Two men were rushed to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said a suspect was seen jumping into a taxi that headed east on Adelaide, but the person has not been apprehended.

At Sunday's news conference, Brown's two sisters appealed for witnesses to come forward.

"Somebody out there knows something," said Amanda Taylor, who urged the shooter to come forward.       

Blair said his force will do all that is required "to bring those responsible for this violence to justice."

With files from the Canadian Press