TORONT (AP) – Dozens have been injured in a shooting at an Eastern Toronto pub called reckless violence by three men who police entered the bar and randomly fired without warning.
Toronto Police Service Principal Paul McInteel said authorities received numerous emergency calls reporting a shooting at Piper Arms around 10:40pm on Friday.
A preliminary investigation determined that three men had entered the pub and began filming customers, Macintyre said at a press conference on the scene. He was not arrested immediately.
“One man was armed with what looked like an attacking rifle, while the other two were armed with handguns, they walked to the bar, produced guns, and opened fire indiscriminately to those sitting inside,” McIntyre said.
Police arrived at the scene and found 12 people suffering from various injuries. The victim was taken to a local hospital, where six of them were confirmed to have a life-threatening gunshot wound, McIntyre said he called the victim “very lucky.” The remaining six victims were flew and scratched by broken glass.
Macintyre said the motivation wasn’t immediately clear, calling the shooting “a brave and reckless act of violence that really shakes our community and the city itself.”
Macintyre said he and other officers were “terrifying” by what they saw on security videos.
“These guys just looked at the ground and opened the fire,” he said.
Shortly after the shooting, police said the suspect wearing a black balaclava was seen fleeing in a silver car, and was still large after the shooting. People were warned to stay away from the area.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she spoke to police chief Myron Demcue and was told that “all the necessary resources” had been deployed.
“It’s annoying because of the size of the shooting and the number of pain. I don’t want to speculate on why and how,” Cho told reporters at a press conference.
