Toronto homicide detectives are investigating after a man was fatally shot in a schoolyard in the Lawrence Heights area — the fourth gun-related fatality in the city in four days.

Residents in the area near Allen Road and Lawrence Avenue West reported hearing gunshots early Thursday.

Police found a man fatally shot in the playground at Flemington Public School just after 1 a.m.

Police have identified the man as Daniel Davis, 27. He is the 20th homicide victim killed by a gun in Toronto so far this year.

Daniel Davis was found fatally shot in the playground at Flemington Public School early Thursday. (Toronto Police Service)

Friends told CBC News that Davis was a father of a six-month-old baby girl, wasn’t in a gang, didn’t drink or smoke and was humble, helpful and respectful.

One neighbour said he knew the victim, and can't believe he would have been involved in any violence.

"He's such a quiet person, such a nice person. Never hear him in any fight with anybody all these years I've known him. Never. He come to my house I never heard him in any quarrel, any fight, any cross words with anybody. So for him to get killed like that...," said the neighbour, who didn't want to be identified.

Another neighbour, a woman, said the recent spike in violence has put people on edge.

"What is horrible is the people in here don't get no time to heal. It's just frustration after frustration. A death around here. There was a death down there on Eglinton early on. So, you know I mean, it's crazy. It's really, really crazy."

Police say neighbours reported hearing seven or eight gunshots and that several people were seen running from the area.

The schoolground was cordoned off on Thursday and police say they are looking at surveillance video.

CBC's Asha Tomlinson reported from the area that residents are worried about their safety, and retaliation if they speak out about the shooting.

Toronto police Det. Mark Carbone said the force is looking for information. "It’s a good community, and we expect that they will rise to the challenge and give us some information.”

The shooting comes in the wake of two other brazen acts of gun violence this week in the city.

On Tuesday night a man was shot and killed in a parking lot after finishing a pickup soccer game at a field near Jane Street and Eglinton Avenue West.

On Monday night, a 14-year-old girl and a 23-year-old man were fatally shot, 23 more wounded and one person trampled in a shooting at a street party in Scarborough in what has been described as one of the worst instances of gun violence in the city's history.