Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she was “deeply troubled” by mass shootings at the eastern edge of the city, half of which have injured 12 seriously injured people.
Chow said he was working at city hall late Friday night when news broke about the shooting. She is in contact with Toronto Police and is getting regular updates, she said.
She said 12 people were injured, including six people with serious gunshot wounds.
“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.
supt. Organized Crime Enforcement Paul McIntyre told reporters at the scene of the shooting Friday night that at 10:39pm, three masked men (armed with assault rifles and handguns) blew into the bar and opened the fire “indiscriminately” to people sitting at Piper Arms at 520 Progress Avenue.
The motive for the shooting remains unknown, he said, and police are chasing all the leads, including finding vehicles for the suspect to use. The victims range from their 20s to mid-50s, he added.
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“I can tell you, this was a brave and reckless act of violence that really rocked our community and the city itself,” he said.
After watching the surveillance video, Macintyre painted a picture of the scene inside the restaurant and said, “It’s creepy.”
“These people saw the crowd and fired fire. That was horrifying.”
He said those who were sitting at a table carrying food or drinks, or standing at the bar, were suddenly covered for cover as other people ran into the basement as shots rang out.
“It looks like a massive number of casualties were shot inside the pub,” he said.
“The drinks are still on the table. The food is still on the table. People’s wallets, shoes are still there. There’s a lot of damage to the wall. There’s a wall of crushed glass. There’s blood all over the floor. …It’s a nasty scene.”
On Saturday morning, yellow police warning tapes and several police cars marked quiet scenes. There were no people around.
Scarborough Center County. Michael Thompson visited the site early on Saturday.
“The gun violence that occurred at this particular facility last night left a mark not only for the community but also for those affected by the incident that occurred,” he said.
“It must have been very scary for all those who had a good time having this brave and coronavirus act on those who were celebrating and enjoying themselves and attending this opening of this new business in their community.”
By midday, two servers appeared at the restaurant, assuming the shift would work. One of them wore a black uniform with the yellow pub logo.
Pooja Lady said she was scheduled as a host and food runner and was uneasy to hear about the shooting.
She described the place as “really very clean” with a fireplace and a large dining area.
“I’ve been here a few times to train, and today was supposed to be my first shift,” she said.
“It was very shocking and I felt very unwell on what happened. They were just sitting there. They didn’t deserve to have such a fate.”
