OTTAWA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- A 47-year-old man was stacking oranges at a grocery store in the east end of Canada's Toronto when he was killed by a stray bullet, becoming the third innocent victim of the city's rising gun violence in the new year.

    Hou Chang Mao, 47, was working at Fu Yao Supermarket at 643 Gerrard St. East when he was hit in the chest by a stray bullet shortly after 6 p.m. local time Thursday. He was taken to hospital but proclaimed dead there, Toronto police said at a press conference on Friday.

    Mao, who moved to Canada from China two years ago, lived with a23-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter nearby. Those who knew him described him as a hard-working, honest man who was well liked in the neighborhood.

    Investigators said Mao was an innocent bystander. The incident was sparked by an argument between several people, which resulted in guns being drawn. Several shots were fired. One shop had a bullet hole in its front window and the windshield of a parked car was also hit.

    At least two people were involved in the gun battle and two handguns were used, investigators said.

    Police are urging witnesses to stand out and offer information.

    The slaying marks the city's third so far this year, and the second in one week that an innocent bystander has been shot dead on a busy Toronto street.

    Early Saturday morning, 42-year-old John O'Keefe was caught in a deadly crossfire as he walked on Toronto's busiest Yonge Street. He was shot once in the head and pronounced dead at the scene.

    Two men have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in the slaying.

    Toronto Mayor David Miller called the two killings "tragedies," and renewed his call for the federal government to ban handguns.

    "I think it's time Canadians came together. These challenges aren't just in Toronto, they exist across this country," he said at a press conference on Friday.

    Blaming his city's rising gun violence to guns from the United States, Miller urged the federal government to work closer with U.S. authorities to stop the flow of illegal weapons.

    Gun violence in Canada, especially in Toronto, has surged to record levels in recent years, with dozens of gun-related homicides occurring each year. While most of the violence is between rival gangs, some innocent bystanders have become victims of the crossfire.