A mass shooting Sunday night in Toronto has claimed the life of one woman, and injured 13 others. The gunman is also dead. The incident…
A mass shooting Sunday night in Toronto has claimed the life of one woman, and injured 13 others. The gunman is also dead. The incident is the latest in a series of gun-related violence that has rocked Canada’s largest city this summer. As the Globe and Mail reports, the solitary gunman opened fire on Danforth Ave., in the heart of the Toronto’s nightlife. He picked-off pedestrians and then started shooting at restaurants.
Police arrived on the scene within minutes and began exchanging fire with the shooter — who was found dead in an alley minutes later. Police have yet to confirm whether the suspect was killed by them or whether he took his own life. Authorities have not released the name of the suspect.
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders told reporters that the shooter used a handgun — a weapon that is extremely difficult to obtain legally in Toronto due to Canada’s strict gun laws.
“When we can provide more information we definitely will, but right now it’s important we don’t speculate,” Saunders told reporters. Police investigators scoured the crime scene and collected evidence Sunday night.
Saunders said the shooting left one young woman dead. Among those wounded is a critically injured child,. Other victims were taken to hospital for treatment
Although the incident last mere minutes, the gunman managed to traverse several blocks in his rampage. Many patrons were slow to react because they mistook the sound of shooting for firecrackers.
Andrew Mantzios told the Globe and Mail that he was spending time with friends Sunday night when the carnage began at 10 p.m.
He described the shooter as a male, wearing black clothing and holding a handgun.
He turned, and saw a man, dressed in all black, walking toward them with a handgun. “He had this horrible expression on his face.”
The shooting occurs in the midst of an ongoing controversey where a provincial cabinet minister was called “racist” when he said he donned a bulletproof vest to tour some of Toronto’s more crime-ridden districts.
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