Toronto police have said a security guard was shot overnight outside the home of Canadian rapper Drake.

Police said suspects in a vehicle shot the guard at the corner of the Park Lane Circle mansion around 02:00 EDT (06:00 GMT) on Tuesday before fleeing the scene.

It remains unclear if Drake was at home when the incident occurred or whether he was a target of the shooting.

He is currently embroiled in a war of words with US rap rival Kendrick Lamar.

But police said it was too early in their investigation to speak about a motive.

“We are in contact with [Drake’s] team and they are cooperating,” Inspector Paul Krawczyk of the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force told reporters on Tuesday morning.

He said police are currently assessing video that captures the shooting but is not releasing information about it due to video quality issues.

The victim is in hospital and is in serious condition, he added.

Witnesses told Canadian media he had sustained several gunshot wounds, including one to the chest.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow told reporters she had been briefed by police about the shooting but declined to provide details.

“Any shooting is not welcome in this city and I hope the police will find the people that are violating the law and catch them,” she said.

The lyrical beef between Drake and Lamar has grown bitterly personal, with a flurry of “diss tracks” exchanged between two of hip-hop’s biggest stars over the weekend.

The Canadian’s house, in the ritzy Bridle Path neighbourhood of Toronto, is the subject of cover art for Lamar’s latest song Not Like Us, which is currently topping US and global music charts.

In the song, Lamar accuses Drake of having relationships with underage women, and of harbouring a secret love child, with the image appearing to suggest he is housing multiple sex offenders under his roof.

Drake’s response, The Heart Part 6, denies the allegations and says he “feels disgusted” by them.

The rapper has discussed his home, which he refers to as The Embassy, in his own music and on social media. Its gates are twice as high as permissible under city law, because of his security needs.

Pictures online show the property has been cordoned off with caution tape as police investigate the shooting.

The BBC has reached out to representatives of both artists for comment.