A shooting at a popular street festival in Toronto left six people shot, two of them fatally, on Saturday evening. The violence erupted at the Salsa on St. Clair Festival in the city's St. Clair West neighbourhood, turning a lively summer celebration into a scene of chaos as festivalgoers fled and police rushed to secure the area in the aftermath of the gunfire.
The shooting happened around 8:15 in the evening along St. Clair, in an area threaded by streets such as Arlington and Rushton. The festival, a two-day event, was in full swing at the time, with music playing and people dancing, when the sound of gunfire brought the celebration to an abrupt and frightening halt for the crowds gathered there.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed the human toll in a statement. Ford said he was devastated by the senseless violence at the festival, which he said had claimed two lives and injured others. He extended his thoughts to the victims, their families and everyone affected, and thanked Toronto police and first responders for their response to the incident. At a later news conference, police said two people had been killed and four others shot, with an additional person taken to hospital, and put the crowd at the festival at around 13,000 people.
Police have now identified the two people who died that night as 25-year-old Shaquan Kwashi and 20-year-old Cesar Vernazza. Five other people suffered gunshot wounds, and while few details were released about them, the chief confirmed that at least some of the wounded were innocent bystanders. Among them, one business owner recalled an 18-year-old woman who had been shot in the arm running into her shop, where a friend held pressure on the wound as she waited in shock for help.
Witnesses described scenes of panic as the danger became clear. One attendee recounted getting a call from a friend who saw police officers running with weapons toward St. Clair as crowds stampeded up the street. On a nearby street, over the music, people began moving more quickly as whispers that there was a gun spread through the festival.
One of the victims received prolonged CPR at the scene, with paramedics and others working for many minutes to try to save him. Witnesses said the gunshots had sounded like those of a semi-automatic weapon, and several described the episode as a horrible event that unfolded during what had been an otherwise happy and joyful day.
Police secured the scene and then expanded the cordon, directing the public to move westwards and to stay away from the area, while a police helicopter circled overhead. The festival, a two-day event, was shut down for the rest of the night, and the remaining festivities scheduled for the following day were later called off entirely as the investigation continued. At the news conference, police said they did not believe there was any ongoing threat to people living in and around the area, and had no indication a shooter was hiding nearby.
The person or persons responsible had not been caught, and witnesses reported seeing someone run through an alley with a gun as the scene was being closed off. Police later said the shooting took place at 781 St. Clair Avenue West and now appeared to have been targeted, revealing that there had been an exchange of gunfire between two individuals rather than an indiscriminate attack, though it remained unclear whether those injured were involved in the confrontation or were bystanders. Two firearms were recovered and investigators established three separate crime scenes in what they called a complex investigation, with no arrests made and the person or persons at large no longer treated as an active shooter posing a threat to the public.
The shooting drew swift condemnation from city officials. Deputy Mayor Mike Colle, appearing alongside Councillor Josh Matlow, said he was outraged and called the attack abhorrent, condemning what they described as gangster violence at a peaceful family festival that had run for 15 years without problems, and calling for those responsible to be caught, denied bail and given a lengthy sentence. Premier Doug Ford said whoever was responsible must be caught, brought to justice and spend the rest of their life behind bars, and noted that fatal shootings involving multiple victims in public are relatively rare in Toronto, while attendees wondered what the shooting would mean for the festival's planned second day.
The response reached the country's national leadership. In a statement, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was horrified by the shooting that had killed two people at the Salsa on St. Clair Festival, offering his prayers to the families grieving their loved ones, to those left in critical condition and to everyone affected by what he called a horrific event. Carney also thanked the police officers and other first responders whose courage and fast action, he said, had prevented further harm at the crowded Toronto festival.
As the search for suspects continued, with two firearms recovered and no arrests made, attention also turned to the safety of large public events. Police Chief Demkiw said the weekend underscored the need for ongoing discussions between police, the city and event organizers about the measures necessary to keep public gatherings safe. He said that even before the shooting he had spoken with the city manager to highlight the need for closer collaboration and strategic planning around how special events such as street festivals are permitted and managed.
Investigators have since offered a clearer picture of the confrontation. The chief said the two men who were killed knew each other and were targeted, with the two firing at each other as they moved through the crowd, though he would not say whether the men themselves were the intended targets or how the wounded fit in, citing the need to let witnesses give their accounts first. In the process, he said, other people were struck by the gunfire.
The chief also used the shooting to press for tougher laws. He argued that when someone is shot and killed in a congregate setting, whether by a stray bullet or because someone started a fight and pulled a gun, such offences should be classified as first-degree murder as a deterrent. That change is not part of the reforms coming into effect in Canada later this month, which toughen sentences and restrict bail in cases involving guns but do not go as far as the reclassification he is seeking.
Days after the violence, the future of the festival itself has been thrown into serious doubt. TLN Media Group, a central organizer of the event, signalled that it may pull out unless city officials promise enhanced policing and security, and accused police and municipal leaders of trying to normalize what had happened. The local business improvement association pushed back on that criticism, saying there had been ample police at the festival and that no one was at fault except the people who arrived with guns. The city said it had been working to make such events safer, including by hosting a festival safety summit the previous year, while the police chief defended his officers' preparation and their quick response to a large and chaotic scene.