Gunman dead after rampage in streets
A GUNMAN is dead after he went on a shooting rampage at a busy Toronto restaurant strip yesterday, killing one person and injuring up to 14 others, including a little girl.
The shooter, who is yet to be identified, is believed to have acted alone in an attack which authorities said was “not a random shooting”.
A matter of hours after the incident, which happened about 10pm Sunday local time, witnesses shared video of the terrifying moment the lone man pulled the trigger in the city’s Greektown.
The footage was shot from a nearby balcony and showed a man, dressed from head to toe in all-black, walking quickly down a footpath on the busy Danforth Avenue.
He then drew a pistol as he turned towards a shop front.
Witnesses said he continued firing shots as he moved on from the initial spot, with victims seen scattered across several blocks.
Toronto’s chief of police Mark Saunders said an officer confronted the man and began shooting. It was unclear whether the gunman died from wounds inflicted by the officer or himself.
One person, a woman, has been officially declared dead and a girl, believed to be about eight, is still in a critical condition.
Mayor John Tory said at a press conference that “people should not reach any conclusions” as to the motive of the attack because “police themselves have not yet drawn any conclusions”.
“Yes, we have a gun problem,” Mayor Tory added. “Guns are too readily available to too many people.”
He didn’t rule out the possibility the killer was motivated by terror.
“This was not a random shooting,” he said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford tweeted out a message of soli- dary with the victims, saying: “My heart goes out to the victims and loved ones of the horrific act of gun violence in Toronto.
“Thank you to all the first responders for acting quickly to help everyone affected.”
Local reporter Jeremy Chohn tweeted, saying the shooting began outside a restaurant near Logan Avenue in Greektown, Toronto.
“Victims are spread across many blocks,” he wrote.
Witnesses said they heard more than a dozen shots ring out at the time of the shootings. Paramedics told media the crime scene encompassed a large area and the 14 victims retrieved from the scene suffered “significant injuries”.
The scene of the attack is about 14.5km from Yonge St, where a motorist went on a ramming rampage on April 23, which left 10 people dead and another 15 people injured.
Alek Minassian, 25, will face multiple murder and attempted murder charges in relation to that attack when he reappears in court on September 14.
The incident comes with Canada’s largest metropolis concerned over a spate of shootings, more than 200, this year. About two dozen have been fatal. Canada traditionally has relatively low levels of gun violence.