An SUV that suspects allegedly used to flee after firing shots at the U.S. Consulate in downtown Toronto early Tuesday morning has been recovered, Toronto police say.
Police confirmed to CP24 that the vehicle, a white Honda CR-V, which they said had been stolen before the shooting, was recovered in an undisclosed location in Toronto hours after the incident on University Avenue.
However, the two suspects remain at large. No descriptions have been released.
Officers were first notified of the shooting at around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, about an hour after the gunshots rang out.
At the time, Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said witness evidence showed a white Honda CRV heading west on Dundas Street before turning onto University Avenue and stopping in front of the consulate.
“There, two individuals emerged from the vehicle, discharged what appears to be a handgun at the front of the building, and then got back into their vehicle and drove southbound,” Barredo said.
There were people inside the building at the time of the shooting, but no injuries were reported. Barredo described the building as “heavily fortified” and did not believe the walls, bulletproof windows, or doors were penetrated by the gunfire.
Toronto police’s Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force is leading the investigation with the assistance of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other GTA police services.
Chief Superintendent Chris Leather, Officer in Charge of Criminal Operations for RCMP Ontario, said that the shooting is being treated as a “national security incident.”
With files from CP24’s Beatrice Vaisman and Codi Wilson
