Toronto shooting leaves 1 dead, 5 in hospital

Toronto police say they are looking for “multiple suspects” after a shooting in Lawrence Heights left one man dead and five others injured Tuesday night.

Emergency services received a call for a shooting in the area of Flemington and Zachary Roads near Ranee Avenue and Allen Road just after 8:30 p.m.

When officers arrived, they found multiple gunshot victims in an alleyway between a highrise and Allen Road.

Duty Senior Officer Baheer Sarvanandan said a man in his 40s was pronounced dead, and five others, four men and a woman, were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

He said police do not have a lot of information about those involved but confirmed there are “multiple suspects” outstanding.

Whether they fled in a vehicle, Sarvanandan said, that’s still to be determined as investigators continue to piece together what transpired in the alleyway.

He added, “There’s no risk to public safety.”

Sarvanandan described the scene as “large and complex.” While the shooting took place in the alleyway, he said there were secondary scenes where the victims were located shortly after the shooting.

When asked if the shooting was random or targeted, Sarvanandan said, “I don’t have the full information, but it is an ongoing investigation.”

He noted that police have not recovered any firearms.

Investigators have set up a command post in the area of Ranee Avenue and Flemington Road as they canvass for witnesses and evidence.

Witness seeing ‘puddles of blood’

A resident of the highrise who did not want to give his name told reporters at the scene that he was in his bedroom when he heard 10 to 20 gunshots.

“It just was so loud that it came through,” he recounted.

He then went out to his balcony to check what was happening and saw multiple vehicles speeding away. When he got down to the street, he recalled seeing a “commotion” in the alleyway and “puddles of blood.”

“There was a lot of blood and a lot of people yelling and screaming,” the resident said, adding that life-saving measures were being performed on a number of individuals.

A video sent by another person who lives in a building appears to show the aftermath, with several individuals lying on the ground being helped by others as police and paramedics arrive.

Another resident, who did not want to appear on camera, told CTV News Toronto that he was working when he heard about 20 gunshots.

He initially thought it was fireworks, as the area hadn’t had a shooting in a couple of years. He recalled the gunshots were fired in “pretty quick” succession.

Mayor reacts

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she is “disturbed” by the shooting and her office is in contact with police.

“I want to thank the first responders - Toronto Police, Fire and Paramedic services for your work on a very busy and challenging scene,” Chow said.

Speaking to CP24 at the scene, Coun. Mike Colle, who represents the area, said he was “very upset.”

“It’s really wild, wild west scene up here tonight,” he said.

“It’s very, very disappointing and very, very upsetting to see this happen, because we’ve had really peace and quiet up here in Lawrence Heights for the last number of years, and to see this peace broken by this incredible irresponsible use of guns,” Cole said.