Two killed, five shot during Salsa on St. Clair festival in Toronto; suspect at large
A gunman opened fire during the Salsa on St. Clair street festival in Midtown Toronto on Saturday evening, leaving two people dead and five others injured before fleeing the scene.
What happened
Police received reports of an active shooter at 8:12 p.m. local time on Saturday near St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue. The area is part of Midtown Toronto, which had been closed to traffic for the Salsa on St. Clair festival. The event is described by the New York Times as a marquee fixture on the city's summer calendar for the past 22 years.
When officers arrived, they located five people with gunshot wounds. Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene. The conditions of the remaining three injured people were not immediately known. The number of injured victims varies slightly across reports: Reuters and the New York Times report five people shot total, while the Italian daily La Repubblica and the Spanish wire service Europa Press cite six injured. Watson.ch and Mediafax report five injured. All outlets agree on two fatalities.
Police response
Toronto Police said on X that the scene had been secured. A large police presence remained in the area late Saturday as officers continued their investigation. The public was urged to stay away from the zone and follow all directions from authorities.
The police have secured the crime scene.
No suspect description, motive, or arrests have been announced. Authorities confirmed the attacker remains at large. A Toronto Police spokesperson declined to provide additional details beyond the department's official social media posts.
A second mass shooting in weeks
The shooting follows a similar incident in Montreal at the end of June, in which a resident and a police officer were killed before the attacker was shot dead by law enforcement. Both La Repubblica and Le Figaro draw a direct parallel between the two events. Mediafax also references a mass shooting in February in the small Western Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge, where a transgender young person killed their mother and stepfather before shooting five children aged 12 and 13 and a 39-year-old teacher at their former school.
What comes next
Toronto Police said updates would be released as more information became available. No timeline for a press conference or further public statement has been given. The investigation remains active as the search for the suspect continues.
