Toronto, Canada was the scene of a mass shooting in Greektown's Danforth Avenue. The incident happened at around 10 PM, on July 22. The shooter was described as a man dressed in black. The area was busy with people out enjoying a Sunday evening meal. The police were called after the man started shooting into restaurants and shops randomly as he walked down the street. One woman was killed and 13 people were injured. One of those injured is a young girl. The gunman is also dead.
CNN reported that the Police Chief, Mark Saunders, said that they are looking into "every possible motive, including terrorism." But he did stress that people should not make assumptions, and the case will be fully investigated.
Victims of the gunman in Toronto
There are conflicting reports of whether the police shot the gunman, or if he shot himself. However, Heavy News noted that Saunders did say there was an “exchange of gunfire.” He is one of the dead. The innocent victims include a young woman who died. There is a child who is said to be in critical condition. The injured are in hospitals and their conditions are not yet confirmed.
The witnesses told a terrifying story of the mass shooting
The mass shooting was terrifying. CTV reported that a man who was near the shooting explained: "And then, I saw the carnage as I ran down the street here to kind of follow the gunfire." That was after he heard around 20 shots going off.
ABC News reported another witness described how he heard shots going off and then just ran with others to get away. In another account, a woman told CBC News that she and her family were in a restaurant when they heard what they thought were "firecrackers" going off. They were urged to get to the back of the eatery. Then they heard people screaming outside.
Toronto Mayor says 'unspeakable' things happen
Talking at a press conference, Toronto Mayor John Tory, noted that gun crime is on the rise in Canada. He said the incident is "evidence of a gun problem." He added that people in Toronto never used to worry about these types of mass shooting attacks, unlike the USA. But he noted that "there are things that happen nowadays and they are just unspeakable.”
Reactions to the shooting on Twitter were swift
On Twitter, as the news broke, there were reactions from all over the world, as well as from those who were in Toronto at the time.
Many of them extended their thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families.
I can’t even... this is Toronto!!! My heart is broken for all those affected by this senseless act of violence 💔
— Chicca🇨🇦 (@chiccablueyes) July 23, 2018
Another user tweeted about how sad a loss of life the shooting was, as people enjoy their evenings out in the city.
A sad evening in Toronto. It was seldom more than broken beer bottles in the parking lots on Danforth Ave. where restaurant goers’ laughters celebrated urban living even late in the evening. Very sorry for the senseless loss of life. https://t.co/ycOaOtoAUV
— Murtaza Haider (@regionomics) July 23, 2018
Meanwhile, at the time of reporting the mass shooting in Toronto, Canada, there has not been any Twitter response from President Donald Trump.
