Toronto Street Festival Shooting Leaves Two Dead, Several Wounded

Gunfire erupted at a Latin dance festival in Toronto overnight, killing at least two people and injuring several others. Police are hunting two suspects.

Toronto Street Festival Shooting Leaves Two Dead, Several Wounded

Gunfire broke out during a street festival in Toronto in the early hours of Sunday, leaving at least two people dead and several others wounded, according to České noviny.

The shooting occurred on a street where a two-day Latin American dance festival was taking place. The event draws hundreds of thousands of attendees, CTV News reported.

Toronto police initially warned of an active shooter. During a later press conference, investigators said two individuals had exchanged gunfire. Both suspects remain at large. Officers recovered two firearms at the scene.

Mike Colle, a representative of the Toronto mayor's office, characterized the incident as "gang violence."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed shock over the attack and offered condolences to the victims and their families. Doug Ford, premier of Ontario province, called for the perpetrators to be caught and severely punished.

Journalist Joanna Lavoie of CP24 was present at the festival when the violence erupted. "People are terrified," she said. "We were dancing." She described how the festive atmosphere turned to panic, adding that the event was effectively ended and police urged attendees to go home.

A large police presence remains at the location as the investigation continues, AFP reported from the scene.

The incident comes roughly one month after a shooting in Montreal left three people dead, including a police officer, a civilian, and the suspect. Two other officers and a civilian were injured in that attack.

In February, a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, western Canada, saw an 18-year-old transgender girl kill eight people, including her mother, stepbrother, teacher, and five high school students, before taking her own life.

In 2018, Toronto experienced a vehicle attack in which a 25-year-old man drove a van into a crowd, killing eight women and two men. Minutes before the attack, he had posted a message on social media expressing hatred toward women.

Source: České noviny