Portugal Colonial - Security guard shot outside Drake's home in Toronto

A security guard was standing outside the massive wrought iron gates at the entrance to the rapper's mansion on The Bridle Path road north of downtown Toronto when suspects in a vehicle opened fire, police said.

The guard was rushed to hospital suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, and remains in serious but non-life-threatening condition, according to police inspector Paul Krawczyk of the city's guns and gangs unit.

The shooting, captured on grainy security camera footage that has not been released to the public, happened at 2:09 am (0609 GMT).

"I cannot confirm if Drake was home at the time the incident occurred, but I can tell you that we are in contact with his team and they are cooperating," Krawczyk told a news conference outside the home.

The suspects fled in the vehicle, he added. No descriptions were offered.

A neighbor, Richie Lai, told public broadcaster Radio-Canada that he "heard the shots and then a car drive by very quickly.

"And then maybe five or 10 minutes later, I heard sirens," he said.

In the morning, police tape cordoned off a large section of the street as well as much of the mansion's courtyard, around a few parked luxury cars and right up to the front door.

Several small orange markers, believed to indicate locations of shell casings, could be seen scattered on the road's edge in front of the residence. Police declined to say how many shots were fired.

In fact, few details of the shooting itself were released as the investigation got underway.

Despite several security cameras pointed at the mansion as well as nearby properties and the street itself, Krawczyk said police were facing "video quality issues" -- likely including low light at the time of the shooting.

Authorities, he said, are analyzing those feeds and canvassing the area for possible witnesses or leads.

The 37-year-old Drake, known for hits such as "God's Plan" and "Hotline Bling," was the highest-grossing rapper in the world last year.

He is currently embroiled in a feud with Kendrick Lamar, with the rappers exchanging barbed "diss tracks" that have drawn widespread attention.

Beefs are nothing new in hip-hop, a genre long known both for its artists' boasts and their strongly worded takedowns of rivals.

There was no indication that the shooting had any relation to the rap battle.

Asked about the bad blood between Drake and Lamar, Krawczyk said he was aware of it, but added, "It is so early in the investigation that we don't have a motive at this time, and so I cannot comment further on that."

P.L.Madureira--PC