Toronto security guard killed in Mexico remembered as a 'gentle giant'

Awell-known security guard in downtown Toronto's club scene was one of five people killed Monday morning after a shooting broke out at a nightclub in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, during a music festival.

Kirk Wilson, 49,had been a bouncer and security guard at many of this city's popular clubs, including Guvernment and Cabana. Friends identified him as one of the victims in the shooting at the BPM electronic music festival.

• Hamilton man killed in Mexican nightclub shooting

As news of the Toronto man's death spread Monday, it prompted an outpouring of grief from DJs, concert promoters, and clubgoers.

His career in keeping people safe was his passion.- Shanna Yankoo, Kirk Wilson's friend

"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.

ShannaYankoo, 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.

Veteran of the Toronto club scene

Wilson had been a long-time employee of INK Entertainment, which owns several clubs and restaurants including Cabana Pool Bar andUniun.

"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."

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

No bravado

"We lost one of our BPM family, the nicest human being,"Gavin Gerbzwrote on Facebook.

Adrian Marshall, who said he worked at the Guvernment for six years describedWilson as a man who "saw the human in everyone."

"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."