2 dead, 4 injured after ‘exchange of gunfire’ in the middle of Toronto street festival
Police had initially warned of an active shooter on St. Clair Avenue West, but later decided the shooting was two people firing at each other in the crowd.
Two men have died and four more people are injured after an “exchange of gunfire” between two suspects in the middle of a crowded Toronto street festival.
Toronto police had initially warned there could be an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair festival as first responders rushed to a chaotic scene mobbed by some 13,000 attendees.
“There were people that were injured, there were people that were down,” Deputy Chief Frank Barredo told reporters. “It was a very active and chaotic scene.”
The first call, he said, came in around 8:12 p.m. in the area of St. Clair and Arlington.
Information from police changed in the hours that followed, including at one point suggesting six people had been injured.
Eventually, they confirmed two men had died, and four other people were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Rather than an active shooter randomly targeting festival goers, police said they thought it was two people with guns “targeting each other” in the middle of a crowd.
Barredo said it was “difficult to say with certainty” what happened, but that he believed officers were looking for two suspects.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow lamented the violence.
“I’m deeply disturbed and angry about this reckless, irresponsible act of violence,” she said.
“Right in the middle of a festival attended by families, children, seniors. Just beyond words how disturbed I am.”
Amellia St John, who was at the festival with her friend, told Global News she saw one person get shot.
“We heard about seven shots, then we see everyone running, so I started running too,” she said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was “devastated” by the violence that shattered the weekend.
“My thoughts are with the victims, their families and everyone affected,” he wrote in a post on social media.
“Thank you to Toronto Police and our first responders for responding to this horrific incident. The person responsible must be caught, brought to justice and spend the rest of their life behind bars.”
The shooting happened on the evening of the first night of Salsa on St. Clair, which was set to run on both Saturday and Sunday.
Currently in its 22nd year, the festival is a celebration of Latin culture with performances as well as many of the street food stalls seen at other events around the city in the summer.
“I really don’t feel safe at these events anymore,” St John added.
“I feel like this is the last time I will be going to an event like this… I thought I was going to come out here and have fun and after I saw a person die, I really don’t feel safe to come out here anymore.”