Gunfire erupted outside the U.S. Consulate in downtown Toronto early Monday, prompting police to shut down a large stretch of University Avenue for hours as investigators combed the scene. It was the latest in a series of shootings at the heavily guarded diplomatic building, and Toronto police confirmed they had found evidence that a firearm had been discharged outside the consulate.
The shooting happened around 4:46 a.m., and it was Toronto police officers who heard the initial sound of gunfire near the building. Officers quickly cordoned off the area, and a large section of University Avenue remained blocked for several hours before it was reopened to allow traffic to travel southbound again through the downtown core of the city.
At the scene, Toronto forensics investigators worked alongside more than a dozen police vehicles, laying down evidence markers, photographing the area and speaking with people who emerged from the consulate. An officer placed a yellow evidence marker next to a small object that appeared to be a shell casing, and another marker was placed on the building itself.
Police said a white sedan was seen fleeing the scene, but there was no suspect description and no reported injuries from the early-morning shooting. Investigators remained on site well into the day, gathering evidence around the consulate as they worked to determine exactly what happened and who was behind the gunfire outside the building.
The incident echoed an earlier shooting at the same location. In March, at around 4:29 a.m., two people got out of a vehicle and opened fire before driving away, and an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old were later arrested and charged in connection with that case. The similarities between the two incidents drew immediate attention from investigators at the scene.
Toronto police have said that multiple investigations, including the shootings at the U.S. Consulate and at synagogues in the city, revealed a pattern of young people being hired to carry out gun crimes. Whether that pattern extends to Monday's shooting was not yet clear, and police said they would share more information as the investigation moved forward.