At Least 2 People Ki//ed, 6 Others Injured During Street Festival Shooting, Police Still Searching for a Suspect

 

NEED TO KNOW

• A shooting took place during the annual Salsa on St. Clair festival in Toronto on Saturday, July 11
• At least two people were killed and multiple others were injured
• Police are still searching for a suspect

At least two people were killed and multiple others were injured during a shooting at a street festival.

The incident occurred in Toronto, Canada, near St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue, where the annual Salsa on St. Clair festival was taking place at around 8:12 p.m. local time on Saturday, July 11, the Toronto Police Department announced on X.

Paramedics respond to an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair event in Toronto on July 11.

Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP

“We have confirmed two males are deceased (one on scene and one at hospital),” a TPD spokesperson said in a statement to PEOPLE.

“Four were taken to hospital with serious injuries due to gunshot wounds,” they continued. A total of six people were injured, according to authorities.

The victims’ identities have not yet been shared publicly.

Service Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said at a press conference on July 11, “There was an exchange of gunfire between individuals targeting each other.”

The festival was attended by an estimated 13,000 people, and Barredo confirmed that police recovered two firearms at the scene.

The chief said no arrests have been made, and the exact number of suspects remains unknown.

“I have no additional information in regards to anyone being arrested,” the police spokesperson also confirmed t the scene through a post on X. “There was some concern about an active shooter. That turned out not to be the case,” Barredo later said, per the Associated Press.

Footage obtained by CBC News shows festival attendees fleeing as police vehicles stormed the area.

“A bunch of people … told us to lie down on the floor,” Valerie Rodriguez, who witnessed the incident, told the AP. “We got scared because we didn’t know exactly what was happening.”

Festival vendor Patsy Gutierrez told the outlet she saw a “huge wave” of people fleeing.

“Everybody started getting frantic, and then we stopped serving,” she said.

Paramedics respond to an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair event in Toronto on July 11.

Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP

Chief Barredo said during the July 11 press conference that there are three crime scenes connected to the shooting that “will be more carefully examined.” 

“This is a very chaotic scene … it’s crowded,” he further explained. “The brazen despicable quality of this exchange here, the amount of danger to the members of the public, is just so unacceptable.”

“It’s complex because of the sheer number of people involved, the chaotic amount of information, lots of video/witness statements and evidence to pour through … a lot of people to interview and to try to piece it all together,” Barredo continued.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted to the tragedy, sharing in a statement on X, “I am horrified by the shooting that has killed two people at the Salsa on St. Clair Festival in Toronto. 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.” 

“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.