Shooting at Toronto festival leaves two dead, six injured
Two people were killed and six others were injured when a pair of gunmen opened fire at a festival celebrating Latino culture in Toronto on Saturday, reports BritPanorama.
Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while five others suffered gunshot wounds and another was hospitalized with unspecified injuries following the gunfire in the area of St. Claire and Arlington avenues during the Salsa on St. Clair festival, Toronto police said.
“There seemed to be an exchange of gunfire between individuals targeting each other,” Frank Barredo, Toronto Police Service deputy chief, said during a news conference.
It remained unclear if the gunmen were among the dead or injured, or whether any shooters were still being sought as of late Saturday.
The shooting was reported around 8:12 p.m., Barredo noted, with an estimated 13,000 people in attendance. Two firearms were recovered, and investigators were focused on three different crime scenes, indicating that the investigation would be “complex.”
Mayor Olivia Chow expressed anger over the violence, emphasizing the festival’s family-friendly atmosphere. “I’m deeply disturbed and angry about this reckless, irresponsible act of violence right in the middle of a festival,” she said.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes. Pamela Garcia told a local news outlet that she heard three shots and witnessed people fleeing in panic. Another witness, Jacy Lin, recounted being at the festival’s salsa stage when the crowd suddenly surged away from it as police arrived.
“I was walking from here and there was like a yellow tape, and I saw a bunch of paramedics coming down with a man and they were just doing CPR,” Lin said. “And he had like an oxygen tank and everything, and he didn’t look well.”
Salsa on St. Clair is a two-day festival celebrating Latino culture with music, dance, food, and art. It started Saturday and was scheduled to continue through Sunday on Toronto’s St. Clair Avenue.
