In brief
At least two people were killed and six others wounded during a shooting at the Salsa on St Clair street festival in midtown Toronto, police said. The incident, which took place on St Clair Avenue around 8:12 pm, involved an exchange of gunfire between two festival attendees and resulted in two firearms being recovered. No suspects have been arrested yet and investigators are still working to determine the motive. Officials urged witnesses to contact police and expressed outrage over the violence, while the Prime Minister and Ontario Premier condemned the attack and called for swift justice.
Two people killed in shooting at Toronto street festival
Authorities in Toronto confirmed that a shooting at the annual Salsa on St Clair Festival left at least two people dead and six others wounded. The incident occurred on St Clair Avenue between 11‑12 July at approximately 8:12 pm local time.
Police first received reports of an active shooter and later found six victims with gunshot wounds. Two of those victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators say the shots were exchanged between two members of the crowd, and two firearms were recovered from the site. No arrests have been made as of the latest update and the investigation is ongoing.
Toronto Deputy Police Chief Francisco Barredo described the scene as "very chaotic" and noted that about 13,000 festival attendees were present when the shooting happened. He said police were dealing with three separate crime scenes linked to the violence.
Officials have urged witnesses to contact police. Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed "horrified" by the incident, and Premier Doug Ford condemned the "senseless violence" and called for the perpetrator to be brought to justice.
The festival, the 22nd annual Salsa on St Clair Latin festival, was a celebration of live music, dance and local culture, drawing crowds from across the city.
