TORONTO: One man was killed and six other people were wounded, two critically, in a shooting at Toronto’s main downtown mall a rare occurrence of major gun violence in Canada’s largest city.
One of the victims in critical condition was a 13-year-old boy, a police spokesman said yesterday. Seven people in total were shot or grazed, while a pregnant woman was knocked down in the melee that followed and went into labor. Police said the shooter was still at large.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who was visibly distraught, told reporters on the scene that it was not immediately clear if the shooter was a man or woman.
The shooting happened in the food court of the Eaton Centre, one of the city’s top tourist destinations. Some witnesses interviewed by local television stations said they heard more than half a dozen shots, which triggered a stampede to flee the area. The building was evacuated and quickly surrounded by dozens of police cars, emergency vehicles and forensic vans.
Police said the man killed was 25 years old, while the other victim in critical condition was a 20-year-old man. (UNI)