Gunshots rang out as 13,000 people gathered for Salsa on St Clair near St Clair Avenue West at 8.12pm local time. At least six people were treated for gunshot wounds; two men died at the scene and four were taken to hospital. Among the injured was a woman, a witness told CP24.
"Everybody started getting frantic and then we stopped serving," said vendor Patsy Gutierrez. "I don't think it should be something that's happening in these type of events."
“Two men killed, four injured after gunfire at Toronto's Salsa on St Clair festival; no arrests yet.”
Police initially received reports of an active shooter, but Deputy Police Chief Francisco Barredo said at an 11pm press conference that "turned out not to be the case". Instead, there was "an exchange of gunfire between two individuals", he said, and two firearms were recovered from the scene. It was not known if any of the suspects were among the victims.
Barredo described the scene as "very chaotic", adding: "It's very difficult to say with certainty what precipitated this. We will piece together some of those bits of information and when we're able to share it with the public, we certainly will."
No arrests have been made and no suspect descriptions have been released. Police were managing three separate crime scenes, and the public were told to stay away from the area.
Councillor Josh Matlow said the atmosphere earlier had been "very peaceful". William Ajselett, who was lining up to buy food, described seeing "a crowd-crushing situation" that he feared his wife and friends were caught in.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was "horrified by the shooting", offering prayers to "the families grieving their loved ones, those who are in critical condition, and everyone who has been affected by this horrific event". Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the "senseless violence", writing on X: "The person responsible must be caught, brought to justice and spend the rest of their life behind bars."
The annual Salsa on St Clair festival, now in its 22nd year, was shut down. With mass shootings rare in Toronto, the city is left to piece together how a celebration of Latin music and dance turned into a crime scene.