Toronto police said five people were found with gunshot wounds after the shooting near St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue, where the Salsa on St. Clair festival was underway.
Two people were killed, and five others were wounded in a shooting Saturday near a street festival in Toronto, according to the Associated Press (AP). Police initially warned of an active shooter and later confirmed the scene had been secured.
Toronto police said five people were found with gunshot wounds near the intersection of St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue, close to where the Salsa on St. Clair festival was taking place. Officers had urged the public to steer clear of the area while they responded to the scene.
The AP reported that police later said the area had been secured, though no details on a suspect or any arrests had been released at that time. Security was beefed up in the area.
Salsa on St. Clair is a Latino-themed cultural festival held in Toronto.
Valerie Rodriguez said she was sitting near a restaurant on Saturday night when she saw people screaming and running. She said a group of people told them to get down on the floor, and that the uncertainty over what was happening left them frightened.
The AP also cited Patsy Gutierrez, a vendor at the festival, who said she was serving customers when she saw a large wave of people running. She said everyone grew frantic and vendors stopped serving, adding that this kind of violence shouldn’t happen at these types of events.
A large police presence remained near the festival, which the AP described as an annual celebration of Latin American culture that draws thousands of people to Toronto’s St. Clair West neighborhood for live music, dancing, food, and cultural performances.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a social media post that he was devastated by the senseless violence at the Salsa on St. Clair Festival, which claimed two lives and injured others, and that his thoughts were with the victims, their families, and everyone affected.
Toronto, Canada’s largest city, ranks among North America’s safest major cities, and that fatal shootings involving multiple victims in public are relatively rare there.
