Two people were killed and four others injured in a shooting near an outdoor festival in Toronto, Canada, triggering panic among those attending and a major police response.
Toronto police received reports early on Sunday, 12 July, that a gunman had opened fire at a venue hosting a salsa festival.
Officers found at least six people with gunshot wounds and said two were pronounced dead at the scene.
At a press conference several hours after the shooting, police said two people had exchanged fire at the festival and that two firearms were recovered from the scene.
No arrests have been made so far and the investigation is continuing.
Toronto deputy police chief Francisco Barredo described the scene as “very chaotic” and said about 13,000 people were attending the festival at the time of the shooting.
He said police were dealing with three separate locations linked to the incident and that the public would be updated when more information became available.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “shocked” by the shooting and expressed support for “the families mourning their loved ones, those in hospital in critical condition and everyone affected by this horrific event”.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the “senseless violence” at the salsa festival, confirming that the shooting “claimed the lives of two people and injured others”.
“The person responsible must be caught, brought to justice and spend the rest of their life behind bars,” he wrote in a statement on X.