Deadly shooting sparks mass panic
Killer sprays bullets in packed Toronto Eaton Centre food court
TORONTO – Pandemonium erupted at the largest shopping mall in downtown Toronto Saturday after a shooter let off a string of bullets in a food court packed with weekend shoppers.
The hail of bullets killed a 25-year-old man, injured seven other people, including a critically wounded 13 year old, and sparked a stampede in the sprawling multi-level shopping centre around 6:30 p.m.
The shooting appears to have been targeted and caught bystanders in the middle.
“It was unbelievable,” said 19-year-old Marcus NevesPolonio who was working in the mall’s food court when he saw a man pull out a gun and start firing.
“As soon as I heard the gunshots, I ducked under the table.”
Others who saw the shooting scrambled for cover behind chairs, into washrooms and nearby stores. More sprinted for the exits.
About 15 shots were fired, said one witness. “And then a whole stampede of people.”
Thousands of people poured into the streets of the downtown core.
“All of a sudden a herd of people was just running toward us, a massive crowd of people screaming, running, freaking out,” said Hannah Stewart, 21, who had been shopping in the mall. “We saw this girl, sitting on the ground, and she had blood on her toes.”
The girl told Stewart she had just been shot.
Police poured into the centre and began herding people outside.
“All these cops came running up and they started screaming at us to back off,” Stewart said. “They were screaming at us to run and get out.”
Among those injured in the incident, police said a 20-yearold man and a 13-year-old boy were in critical condition.
A pregnant woman who was trampled in the rush to get out of the mall went into labour and another woman was grazed by a bullet.
Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie was also in the mall when the shooting took place and was one of the first to take to Twitter to break the news.
“Pretty sure someone just let off a round bullets in eaton center mall .. Wow just sprinted out of the mall,” he tweeted. “People sprinting up the stairs right from where we just were ... Wow wow wow.”
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford called the crime devastating.
“It’s a tragedy, it’s absolutely terrible,” he said. “We have to apprehend this shooter.
Police chief Bill Blair said everything is being done to do that. “The wanton disregard for the lives and safety of fellow citizens are shocking to us.”
In a statement issued late Saturday, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty called it a case of “senseless, tragic violence” and expressed his condolences to the victims and their families.
Police are going through video surveillance and cross referencing witness statements as they try to pull together a clear picture of the shooting and the person who was holding the gun.
A homicide team remained in the centre combing the area for clues Saturday night and officers asked anyone with information on the shooter to contact police.
The evening incident triggered multiple street closures and a partial shutdown of the subway line which runs beneath the mall. Yellow police tape marking a perimeter outside the centre remained in place late Saturday night.
It’s not the first time the area has seen gunfire.
In 2005, a 15-year-old girl was killed and six others were wounded on Boxing Day, 2005 when they were hit by gunfire north of the shopping centre.
In that case, Toronto teen Jane Creba was shopping with family on busy Yonge Street when she was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs.
“This is a very serious thing that has happened in a very public place, an important place in the city of Toronto,” said Blair.
“When violence like this takes place in our city, we all have to stand up and say we won’t tolerate it.”