Toronto nightclub bouncer killed in Mexico

Kirk Wilson

Kirk Wilson, a Toronto nightclub bouncer and security guard, well known in the Caribbean community, was one of five people killed in a shooting incident on Monday morning  at a music festival in Playa del  Carmen, Mexico.

Friends identified Wilson as one of the victims in the shooting at the BPM – Bartenders, Promoters and  Musicians  – electronic music festival, an annual event organized by two Toronto men.

According to news  reports, after a lone shooter opened fire at the Blue Parrot nightclub, three members of its security team were killed while trying to protect patrons inside the venue.

Fifteen persons were reported to be injured in the incident.

Wilson who lived in Hamilton, Ontario, had been a long-time employee of INK Entertainment, which owns several clubs and restaurants including Cabana Pool Bar and Uniun.

“Our team is overcome with grief over this terrible tragedy,” the company said in a statement released Monday.  “Kirk will be missed by the entire INK team.”

Shanna Yankoo, a friend of Wilson who knew him for more than 20 years, called him a “gentle giant, loved by everyone in the nightlife industry.”

“His career in keeping people safe was his passion,” she said.

On social media, friends and colleagues recalled Wilson’s kindness.

“We lost one of our BPM family, the nicest human being,” Gavin Gerbz wrote on Facebook.

Adrian Marshall, who said he worked at the Guvernment for six years described Wilson as a man who “saw the human in everyone.”

“That guy used to take care of everyone. Especially DJs,” said DJ Addy, who was playing at the BPM festival, and saw Wilson the night before he was killed.

“I found many bouncers I worked with [had] a strong sense of arrogance, conceit and bravado along with lacking any sense of camaraderie,” he said in a Facebook post. “Kirk wasn’t one of them.”​

A memorial fund set  up for Wilson’s wife and his six- and seven-year old children, seeks to raise $125,000.