Police in Waterloo, Ont. are investigating a deadly daylight shooting in which the suspects managed to evade officers along Highway 401.

At around 11:15 a.m. on Thursday morning, Waterloo Regional Police were called to a parking lot of a halfway house in Kitchener following reports of a shooting. Once officers arrived to the scene they found a man lying on the ground with injuries. He later died at the scene.

“It was certainly a targeted shooting in the opinion of the investigators,” Deputy Chief Kevin Chalk told reporters following the incident. “Whether Toronto was involved or gangs and so forth, I think it’s too early to say.”

Witnesses told CTV Kitchener that a man approached another man who was sitting at a picnic table and shot him multiple times.

“I heard about six gunshots loud and clear,” said Travis Johnson, who heard the shooting. “I ran outside to see what’s going on and there’s cops and everything, everywhere.”

Police say witness reports indicate two people dressed in dark clothing were seen fleeing the area in a white Mercedes.

The Waterloo Regional Police and the Ontario Provincial Police tracked down the suspects along the 401, with officers from Halton, Peel and Toronto on standby as the car headed to their jurisdictions.

As officers followed the Mercedes along the 401, it got off the highway and onto a side road before quickly performing a U-turn back onto the 401, where a police cruiser following the car collided with a civilian pickup truck. Police say the suspect vehicle was last seen near the Highway 401 north of Mississauga.

Sgt. Kerry Schmidt with the OPP Highway Safety Division told CTV London that the vehicle was at times travelling more than 200 kilometres per hour. He said a decision to pursue a vehicle going that fast is not taken lightly.

“It's one of those things where we have to balance the protection of the public versus the interests of having this vehicle stopped,” he said.

Chalk said the licence plate on the vehicle was not registered to a white Mercedes, but could not confirm if the car had been previously stolen.

Meanwhile, the shooting has left residents in the area concerned.

“It's kind of scary,” Johnson said. “It's quite crazy to see it happening in your hometown.”

Police are asking for anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

With files from CTV Kitchener and CTV London