‘Brazen and despicable’: 2 men killed in mass shooting at Toronto’s Salsa on St. Clair festival

Two men were killed, and at least five others were injured during a mass shooting at Toronto’s Salsa on St. Clair street festival Saturday evening.

In a social media post shared at 8:20 p.m., Toronto police issued a warning to the public about an active shooter at the site of the festival near St. Clair and Arlington Avenues.

Police say a total of seven people were found with gunshot wounds, and two people were pronounced dead at the scene.

Footage obtained by CityNews shows paramedics performing life-saving measures on at least one victim within a large crowd of spectators.

Authorities were able to secure the scene shortly after 9 p.m. and have cordoned off several blocks of St. Clair Avenue.

Police have not announced any arrests or shared how many suspects they are looking for.

Witnesses tell CityNews they heard multiple gunshots followed by screams from crowds of people who were running for cover.

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Valerie Rodriguez said she was sitting next to a restaurant when she saw people fleeing.

“A bunch of people … told us to lay down onto the floor,” she said. “We got scared because we didn’t know exactly what was happening.”

Patsy Gutierrez, a vendor at the festival, said she was serving customers when she saw “a huge wave” of people running.

“Everybody started getting frantic and then we stopped serving,” she said. “I don’t think it should be something that’s happening in these type of events.”

William Ajselett said he was in a line to buy food when he witnessed “a crowd-crushing situation.”

After the crowd dispersed, he said he tracked down his wife and made sure his friends were OK.

In a press conference held Saturday evening, Deputy Chief Frank Barredo described an “active and chaotic scene.”

“There was some concern of an active shooter, that turned out not to be the case. We have now established three crime scenes, and homicide investigators and gun and gang investigators are on the scene as well, conducting what is a very complex investigation,” he said.

“The brazen, despicable quality of this exchange here, the amount of danger to the members of the public …is just so unacceptable.”

An estimated 13,000 people attended the free street festival, which is considered Canada’s largest Latino-themed cultural celebration.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she was “disturbed” and “angry” by news of the shooting.

“I’m deeply disturbed and angry about this reckless, irresponsible act of violence, right in the middle of a festival attended by families, children, seniors, and just beyond words about how disturbed I am,” she said late Saturday night.

Coun. Mike Colle echoed the mayor’s comments, voicing his disgust at what he called “gangster violence” at a family event.

“These thugs must be caught, no bail, put em away for 20 years. This threatens all of our public events. This has got to stop.”

Coun. Josh Matlow said he was at the festival earlier in the day and it was “very peaceful.”

“The vibe was great,” he said, adding that he came to the scene after hearing about what police initially called an active shooter situation.

“I came over to support the police efforts and, of course, to be in touch with community leaders who are scared and worried about the neighbourhood,” he said.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “horrified” by reports of the mass shooting.

“My prayers are with the families grieving their loved ones, those who are in critical condition, and everyone who has been affected by this horrific event,” he wrote in a social media post shared Saturday evening. “My thanks to the police officers and other first responders whose courage and fast action prevented further tragedy.”

“Police have my full support as they work to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” he added.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford also addressed the shooting say he was “devastated by the senseless violence at the Salsa on St. Clair Festival.”

“My thoughts are with the victims, their families and everyone affected,” he added. “Thank you to Toronto Police and our first responders for responding to this horrific incident. The person responsible must be caught, brought to justice and spend the rest of their life behind bars.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he was “shocked” to hear of the shooting.

“Our prayers are with the families of the two individuals who passed away, and we hope for a full recovery for those injured,” he wrote in a social media post. “May the police find the monster responsible for this innocent loss of life and bring them to justice.”

Festival organizers expressed shock at the violence which disrupted the event Saturday night, saying in an Instagram post on Sunday that the final day of the festival had been cancelled “due to the complex police investigation at the scene.”

“Our thoughts are with the families of the two persons killed, those who were injured, and everyone affected by this senseless violence,” read the online post.

Timeline of events

Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report